The Truth: Why?
by cheekyrox
Summary: AU: Sequel to The Truth: Who We Are...When the world crumbles into chaos, you often find yourself going to extreme measures to save it, even if those extreme measures include allying yourself with the enemy...
1. Prologue

A/N: So, first off, I'd like to thank everyone who faved, reviewed, or even just read this story's predecessor and it's original form, your time and feedback is much appreciated. Also, thanks to purple dove, odd-thing, layalatania and xXxScarletxXxSakuraxXx for the reviews for _this_ story. This version has been revised now, the same as Who We Are, so once again if you find any typos/mistakes I haven't caught to be informed of them would be most appreciated! :D

**Part 1: Alliances and Traitors**

**Prologue: Keys**

From this particular part of the facility, one could just see the expansive beauty of outer space through the slit window, nothing more than a brief bar of immaculate, breathtaking glory that hid the carnage that had tainted it's purity. It was nothing more than an illusion however, something he knew well, for he had seen that same false truth displayed in the real world, given shape in the elusive concept of 'peace'. Because, after all, what was peace really but a notion people used to delude themselves into believing conflict had been resolved? It never lasted, and never would, not until the world was changed, and, unfortunately, in order for the world to change, well, it was ironic, but war was needed first.

This place had been the first step in that difficult direction, the loss of countless lives that yet spelled the salvation of many others. The people who had lived in this place had had to die, least the secret that held humanity's salvation was leaked. This had been the test facility, and though the test had not been wholly successful, in some cases, in fact, it had failed completely, it was still a great success in his mind. The experiment had worked, and, though the final product had had to be destroyed for the most part, the data collected was still invaluable.

To end all wars was a lofty goal, certainly, and in order to convince the world of the need for such a measure it had been necessary to create this new conflict as well, to prove the need, and to gain the funds necessary from those men who made a profit from such a thing. Weapon's manufactures,those who hated Naturals, and those who hated Coordinators, both backing what _they_ believed was something to wholly destroy the other side, but which in truth would rob them of the wealth of which they were so proud. It was almost a giddying feeling to know he held them all in the palm of his hand, and the fact it was an unstable, faulty product that had helped bring this all about only made him want to laugh all the more. Of course, that 'product' had been acting shockingly independent lately, probably thinking he could use what time he had been given to make a stand, but no matter what he did it would not matter, because his creator was always a step ahead, and every single time his servant made a move, he was only bringing him that much closer to his goal.

Turning away from the tiny window into the outer world he walked back to the console he had occupied for the past year or so, his own control tower, from whence he could watch the world bend itself to his will. At the moment, however, it was not the world that occupied his attention, but that pair of startlingly blue eyes set in a much younger face than he was used to seeing. The boy was so similar to the other, but as yet untouched, unknowing of the fact he could very well be the key to the world's salvation. After all, he himself knew every single piece of the genetics that had created the life in that body, a studied specimen he had turned to following the failure of his first efforts,and it was that intimate knowledge that made the difference.

If he succeeded he could adapt his plan to others he knew less well, but it all depended on the boy.

Smiling slightly he reached out and ran his hand lightly across the keypad, changing the image that appeared on the screen to a four way split picture, tenting his hands beneath his chin as he studied the foursome now before him, four whom, whether they knew it or not, were the main pieces in this complex game, and yet players themselves as well.

Lacus Clyne had always been an important piece, one of the purest born into the world, and her allegiance to peace making her the perfect specimen should the initial test succeed. With her in his control, he would be able to sway thousands, perhaps even millions of people, and from her would form the stepping stone for the rest of the world.

Caggallie Yula Attha was equally important, for her nation had always been independent, yet they followed in their Chief Representative's footsteps with nary a complaint. If Caggallie Yula Attha could be made a part of the project, her influence could very well spread almost as much as the Clyne girl.

The third person was more one of interest than of actual use for the moment. Kira Yamato, the undeniably skilled pilot of first the Strike, then the Freedom. The boy was undoubtedly one of the most skilled Coordinators of his time, and yet, though it seemed a shame, he had not interfered in the boy's fate. In order for his plans to further themselves, it may be necessary to allow such brilliant talents as Yamato to die, purely and simply because in this time of conflict that brilliance had turned them into deadly weapons.

Which led him to the last of his invaluable tools, the one he had almost deemed lost, but had now miraculously returned. One could say it was fate that had had him watching the very terminal in which two of those on the screen had chosen to appear, because it would have been pushing the limits of coincidence for him to have been watching at the very moment those brilliant green eyes turned to the camera, just for a brief second, but time enough to capture the still image. Athrun Zala, the other half of the puzzle Attha and Clyne completed, the key to the other side of the conflict, the side that did not see eye to eye with either of the young women, the side that was led by the boy's father.

Which led to the sudden realization that, with a simple series of actions, he could shove a sharp wrench in the plans of the one who thought he now held the strings. A slow smile spread across his face at the thought, and he did not hesitate to reach out and press the button down on his console.

"Operator, I'm sending through a file. I'd like you to code it so it cannot be traced, and then forward it on to the office of Chairman Zala."

Removing his hand from the button he settled back in his seat with a satisfied smirk, swiveling the adjustable piece of furniture around as the door to the room swished open, but not bothering to rise as the blond man entered.

"Ah, Azrael, I was wondering when you would come," a smooth movement of one hand had darkened the screen to the point the other man could not see it, and it took only a second, allow him to continue with barely a pause, "I've made up my mind. You may agree to the treaty, it should work in our favor for the moment, in fact, it may be the key that leads to our victory. The key to unlocking the power to control this world."

Of course, he neglected to mention that that key would be in his hands alone, and that _he_ would be the only one doing the unlocking.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Hardest Truth**

"Commander Yzak Joule of the ZAFT special forces to see you, sir."

Patrick Zala, resident Chairman of the PLANTs, did not rise to meet the young man dressed in the pristine white and black uniform, though he did lift his gaze from the console, realizing somewhat belatedly that this _was_ the person he had promoted to Commander following his exceptional victory in Orb, and that the young man deserved respect and commendation for his actions, not to be ignored, as had been done when his rank was still captain. For, young Joule had already petitioned for a private debriefing following the events that had seen ZAFT, albeit briefly, lose control of the city of Heliopolis, but his request had been denied. Now that his rank had been raised, on the other hand, such a thing was not possible, and he had had no choice but acquiesce to the promptly resubmitted, barely veiled demand. Joule would get his debriefing it seemed, _without_ Rau present, as his conditions had stated.

It was something of an irritant, because he was still trying to finalize plans to reaffirm his control on the Earth, focussing on it to such an extent some people might have claimed he was neglecting the PLANTs, but he wanted the Earth, and everyone on it, to have a price exacted for their crimes, and there was no other way to do that than to make sure it was done himself. He had put this meeting off as long as possible because of that, but after near on two months of being pushed aside it appeared the young Commander had had enough, and he had come in person, leaving no way to push him aside politely.

"Sir."

The salute was quick and crisp, a no nonsense gesture that showed just how much of his personality the young man had inherited from his mother. That should have been a warning, he supposed, for Ezalia Joule was a formidable individual to deal with, but, he presumed this boy was simply here to recount his own version of events, to perhaps even demand recognition for his actions, so he was wholly unprepared for what came next.

"Ah, yes, Commander Joule, you wished to present a report on the battle for Heliopolis?"

"No, sir," the rebuttal had him stiffening in his chair, but Yzak did not leave him waiting for elaboration, "The report I wish to give relates to a fellow member of the team formerly known as the Zala Team, and concerns I personally possess in reference to the way he, and the rest of us as soldiers, are being used in battle."

"I beg your pardon?" This was certainly not what he had been expecting, but the blazing look in those blue eyes told him this was not a subject about which Yzak would back down, and he was unsurprised when the youth continued.

"Permission to present a report concerning the treatment and eventual death of Captain Athrun Zala, sir?"

_Athrun. _Whatever words he had been about to say stuck in his throat, because, behind that impenetrable mask, behind the unrelenting pursuit of action, behind that ruthless strike against the Earth, behind it all had been the need to avoid thinking that name, or of the person it belonged to. It had been a flurry of frantic activity to remove the cold stone of grief that had struck a heart he had for so long tried to deny was even there, and now, despite his efforts, the fact it _did_ exist was being brutally thrown in his face. Deliberately taking his silence as an affirmative the young Commander began to speak, and Patrick found himself incapable of stopping him, listening to words he would much rather never have heard in the first place.

"As soldiers we are expected to display loyalty to the PLANTs, to go where our orders send us, and to fight with all our strength against whomever the higher ups designate an enemy. The moment we choose to take that path we have an obligation to remain loyal to our homeland, to trust our superiors, and to follow where they lead. Athrun," he paused, and for a moment looked as though he was swallowing something he would much rather not, before proceeding serenely, "Athrun was perhaps one of the best at fulfilling that expected role, even when our team was sent to Heliopolis, and all those times after that when we were called back for no apparent reason, he alone, out of all our team, didn't question it. The epitome of a perfect soldier, you might say, which leads to my first concern. As members of the ZAFT military we _are _expected to follow, we all know this, _however_, as soldiers, we also expect to have that trust returned, to be given a fair reason for the fact _we_, not those who make the decisions, are expected to take lives. Some people may be able to do so without question, I myself am closer to that second category, but for people like Athrun and Nichol Amalfi, that is not sufficient. There needs to be purpose and justification for each movement, otherwise we are just as bad as the other side, and, even worse, we have soldiers who are questioning themselves, utterly useless on the battlefield."

The young Commander paused a moment, clearly gathering his thoughts, then continued slowly.

"This dilemma resulted in two very different results, for starters, Nichol's defection to the Clyne Faction, where at least there was a clear purpose, an outlined cause for him to fight for, and Athrun? Athrun remained here, trying to find justification for doing so, because he didn't want to leave _you_," there was a certain bite to Yzak's words now, but he did not slow, and Patrick was still incapable of forming the words to interrupt him, "No doubt you are unaware of the fact that the pilot of the Strike and the Freedom was an acquaintance of Athrun's, a friend he was forced to fight on your orders, a friend he believed he'd killed, and because of that, and because of the fact he was a broody bastard who had to reason out everything, he sought reassurance that his actions had been correct, that taking a friend's life had been the right thing to do. It was reassurance he should have been able to find here, if not from a father, then from the government and the ideals it follows, but he went to neither for it, instead, he went to the house where his _mother_ died."

There was a certain amount of contempt in the albino Coordinator's voice now, but it was not directed at his deceased comrade, it was directed at the Government, at the Council, at _him_. And, this time, it was not a lack of speech that prevented him from interrupting, for he could not defend his actions in this case. Athrun had gone back to that place, instead of coming to _him_? It was a shocking revelation, and one that turned his insides to ice, for it came with a companion. When _was_ the last time Athrun had ever come to him? No, when was the last time he had acted as though the boy would be welcome if he _did_? He could not answer either of those questions, and Yzak was still speaking.

"I forced that admission out of him, out of concern that his lack of attention would disrupt our mission, and possibly endanger his and our lives," blue eyes fixed unflinchingly on his face, and there was a growing anger in the young man's tone, "Athrun did make an effort to pull himself together, but I still felt he was not in a fit state of mind to go into battle. I _told_ the Commander this, and he dismissed my claims. That was the _same_ battle where Athrun was killed."

Taking a deep breath to regain what had just been expelled, Yzak waited only a second before pursuing his goal, "That happens to be my third concern. Firstly, that the PLANTs leadership no longer consults with the military, creating a lack of communication between both ranks that could have contributed to so many leaving. Secondly, that many people are wondering where this war is going, there seems no purpose to it anymore, and even now that the Earth is in our hands, and everything has ground to a standstill, troops are still being deployed to the Earth, and the GENESIS had already seen use. If we have won, why are we still fighting? My third concern, and possibly the most important, is that Commander Rau Le Creuset displays an alarming lack of care for the welfare of the men beneath his command. I understand as a leader you have to be prepared to sacrifice people, but that does not mean you should do so deliberately, and in sending Athrun out onto that battlefield, I feel Commander Le Creuset did just that.

That concludes my report, sir," a salute accompanied the word, though Patrick was in too heavy a state of shock to really take note of it, "If you'll excuse me.."

The young commander did not wait for the customary dismissal, simply spinning on his heel and marching from the room, his cohort, the other pilot Patrick had not even noticed standing in the shadow of the door, quickly following after him, leaving the room in silence after the final hiss of the shutting door. For a moment the Chairman remained where he was, as though frozen there, before slowly he leant back in his chair, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, before exclaiming in little more than a whisper.

"What have I _done_?"

* * *

"Wow, Yzak," Dearka sniggered the moment they had reached the comparative privacy of the hallway, casting his friend a sideways glance as he finished his thought, "I never knew you liked Athrun so much!"

"Shut it, idiot," Yzak's response was a barely suppressed snarl, "I didn't. But, even that bastard didn't deserve to die like that, not when it could have been avoided if Rau had just _listened_."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," sighing slightly Dearka allowed his grin to fade away, focussing on the more serious aspects of the act Yzak had just committed, though he was sure his friend had already looked at that side of it, at least, he hoped he had, "You're taking an awful risk you know. What if the Chairman decides to have you demoted for speaking to him like that?"

"He won't," Yzak had a hint of pride in his voice now, and Dearka waited for the inevitable epiphany, "Because much and all as he didn't show it, and his son couldn't see it, that man _still_ cares. Did you not notice how I implicated Rau in Athrun's death? Nothing I said was untrue, and Rau really _did _do all that, but if I had tried to make the Chairman see it in any other way he would have been blindsided by his ludicrous trust in that man. Athrun was a...a weak point."

"For someone who hates politics," Dearka grumbled, "You sure have a way of using them. Remind me again why we didn't just go to your mom about this...or my dad?"

"The Chairman wouldn't have listened to either of them, you know that," Yzak shot him a look that told him he was perhaps being a little on the dense side, "And my mother wouldn't have listened to _me_, why don't you tell me if your father would have been any different?"

"I guess not," Dearka rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as the pair of them left the Supreme Council Chambers and began the short trek to the adjoining military facilities, "Considering they're supposed to be our leaders, they _are_ a little bit lacking in that department."

"Exactly," Yzak nodded curtly, making his hair swish with the movement, "And that is, essentially, the problem. Nobody is listening, but if they don't start doing so soon, there's going to be consequences from hell to pay."

* * *

A mirror was such a simple thing to have so completely seized her attention, just a piece of glass with a backing, showing only a room she could have seen just as easily by looking about her. It _was_ just a piece of glass, after all, and yet she could not take her eyes off it, unable to reconcile the dark, shaded auburn hair and _black_ eyes with her own face. _That_ couldn't be her reflection, surely, it must be a picture frame, but when she tilted the frame so that it sat just so she could see him sitting on the bed behind her, an amused smile lingering on his face, and that alone proved it to be a reflection.

"What's the matter?" his amusement had not transmitted itself to his voice, which was utterly calm, though she found it quite disconcerting that his voice could be so detached from his expressions, "You don't like it?"

"It's not me." she admitted, laying the mirror aside and turning back to him as she lifted her hands to tie her shoulder length hair back in a pony-tail.

She still had to remind herself not to flinch when she did that. Looked at him, and saw the disfiguring scar that had come so close to costing him the vision in his left eye. The doctors had assured her it could be healed eventually so that it did not leave any traces at all, but the equipment necessary for that was not aboard a war cruiser, nor in a rustic hotel in the middle of nowhere used to housing only one man, his wife, and the youngest of their two daughters. So, for now, it remained, and even after nearly two months of seeing it nearly every day, she still recoiled. She did not know whether he noticed or not, for if he did he had not commented on it. But, even if she did manage to hide it, she still felt guilty, though she comforted herself with the knowledge it was not the disfiguration itself that disturbed her, but the fact that it served a reminder to that day in Heliopolis, when, for that one terrible moment, she had believed he was dead.

And why that had frightened her so much was debatable, the only explanation Lacus had offered her when she had overheard Caggallie complaining aloud of being so worried about someone she hardly knew was a knowing smile. That smile had disturbed her a bit, until, that is, she had seen the way people gravitated to Athrun Zala, whether_ he_ realized it or not. A month was all it had taken for him to acquire a role of some importance in the Archangel crew, something that was helped along by the sacrifice he had made for Kira, certainly, but which had in a large part been thanks to the simple fact that Athrun was Athrun. People seemed to feel safe around that serious, logical, and yet unfailingly kind personality, so that, through no other means other than being himself, Athrun inspired trust.

It was somewhat comforting to have that rationalization for her actions. That she could tell herself the reason she had trembled with fear when Kira and the others tore away the door to that shattered cockpit was because she had been fearing the obliteration of such good qualities from the world.

Not that Caggallie Yula Attha would ever admit to being scared, no way, not the Lioness of Orb, not aloud, in any case. She hadn't been scared then, and she wouldn't be scared now, when the person dying could very well be her brother. It had infuriated her that they had had to wait this long before taking action, but, as Athrun had so patiently reminded her over and over, it was _necessary_. A word he himself seemed to find distasteful every time he uttered it. This task, such a delicate operation, had taken careful planning, the one thing she was not so adept at, and whilst the master minds of the force had puzzled it out, she had been left to fret and fume, with nothing to do but twiddle her thumbs. She had used that boredom as an excuse to leave first the Kusanagi, then the hotel as well, as she traveled to and fro from Marchio' orphanage with Athrun and Lacus. Though the latter had been busy with their other operation after the first visit, and it had been her and Athrun alone settling the details between themselves and the members of the Clyne Faction in the PLANTs still doing their best to keep Kira alive.

In actual fact, Athrun had planned almost the entire operation, even if he would never admit it, his slightly more extensive knowledge of ZAFT providing things even Siegel had not been able to. Nichol had been a large part of it as well, and then there had been the third member of the planning, and the least expected. Meyrin Hawk was only sixteen, and whilst her older sister had chosen to go to war and defend the PLANTs, Meyrin had remained home with her parents, despite an uncanny knack for hacking into complex computer systems. Meyrin had been able to get them blueprints of the Supreme Council Chambers, and any other facility they desired, as well as security camera locations, shift changes, alarms, cell numbers, times of scheduled checks, and just about anything else that could be considered useful. The girl was a real whiz, and the information she had been able to provide had been the final piece in the puzzle.

The puzzle that would shortly see the four of them on their way to the PLANTs, hopefully _before_ the decision was finally made to execute Kira.

That thought sent a shudder down her spine, for, although the delay could not have been helped, Kira's fate had only been averted this long because of the efforts of Nichol's father. How he had forestalled it so long no one seemed certain, but he had, and for the moment, that was the only thing that counted.

"You should be used to it by now," Athrun's response to the words she had uttered what seemed like minutes ago, but which in fact had been little more than seconds, brought her back to reality with a sound jolt, and she turned her eyes back to his face, "How long has it been?"

"I should never have let Meyrin choose the hair color," Caggallie murmured mournfully, ignoring his comment, and for a moment relishing the fact that his lips had quirked into a brief smile again. That, she had discovered, was a rare event, and thus, as a woman who had pursued the impossible, she had made it one of her top priorities, besides rescuing Kira, overthrowing ZAFT, and returning Orb to a free country, that is. Come to think of it, that made the first task seem a cinch, though it wasn't. "A redhead...I am _not_ designed for this color."

"Designed? What are you, then? " Nichol's interjection as he overheard the last part of the conversation was not unexpected, and she simply waited him out, "Some type of cyborg?"

"Yep, had you not noticed?" she flashed him a friendly smile, something that had become natural for her over the past weeks. Nichol had proven himself a loyal ally, but more than that, she considered him a good friend, something that had surprised her at first, for she was still unused to being so open around other people. She had been once, but, after Ahmed...Abruptly cutting off that train of thought she asked a different question of him, "Where is Meyrin?"

"With Miss Lacus," the green haired Coordinator nodded quickly, accepting the bag Athrun handed him somewhat gingerly, which made Caggallie wonder, not for the first time, what was within them. Athrun had not seen fit to tell her, just as he had kept the majority of the plan under wraps, and she had been burning with curiosity ever since. "Commander Waltfield has volunteered to drive us to the terminal, but there are just a few security things that need to be checked, and some last minute blueprints to be found."

"Security things?" Caggallie gave a wry smile, "You mean, perhaps, like the small fact we're going to be smuggling ourselves upon a freighter headed for the PLANTs in a terminal that is being monitored by ZAFT?"

She almost jumped when the soft click of a gun being loaded punctuated her words, turning to frown at Athrun, who was matter of factly sliding the weapon within the holster beneath his coat. It was not the first time she had seen him do that, of course, he had insisted, most likely rightfully, on being armed wherever they went, but she still didn't have to like it, especially not when it was clearly such a programmed gesture. Then again, she didn't like any gestures that reminded her either Nichol or him had been soldiers in ZAFT, an army that seemed to be fairly efficient in training it's soldiers. The things the two of them did were often so natural that it seemed they had been born that way, and _that_ was what really scared her.

"There shouldn't be a problem," Nichol interpreted her gesture as fear, and was quick to reassure her, "Everything is well planned, and it should all run smoothly."

"Until we reach the PLANTs, in any case," Athrun remarked casually, picking up the other of the two bags and slinging it over his shoulder, "That's when we have to count on sheer, dumb luck."

"Luck isn't dumb, in my experience," Caggallie retorted swiftly, "Not if it works, in any case."

"There is a chance we aren't going to succeed here, Caggallie," It had taken a lot of wheedling to get him to simply call her by her first name, rather than 'Miss Attha', or 'Representative', but he even managed to make _that_ sound like a formal title when he spoke in that serious tone, "And that could mean more than just Kira's life could be lost. I still don't agree with you coming, you're a leader, you should be staying here and helping Lacus, especially at a time like this."

Out of the corner of her eye Caggallie saw Nichol take a step back, clearly afraid she would blow her top, as she had the last time this argument had been rehashed. Athrun had made his disapproval of her decision apparent before, but he seemed to be under the misguided illusion that if he told her the same thing enough times over he could change her mind. Maybe that knock on his head had really done some damage, or maybe he was just being stubbornly stupid, either way, he was deluding himself if he thought she was going to back out, particularly now.

"Diplomacy is more Lacus' thing than mine, and besides, _somebody_ needs to convince Kira we've actually come to rescue him," she retorted, forcibly calm, so as not to drive Nichol to running like he had last time. Well, he hadn't actually run, but it had been a rather rapid exit. She only wished she could cow Athrun that way, sometimes, if he would just stop talking, things would be that much easier. And she had _not_ thought that because he had won just about every other argument with that infuriatingly cool logic, it was just the truth, from her point of view, any way. "You know how dense he can be."

"It appears to be a family trait," he paused suddenly, looking somewhat surprised that he had actually uttered _that_ thought aloud, before proceeding calmly, "In any case, you don't need to worry. I'm not going to make you stay behind, I'm not stupid enough to think you would after your last...exhibition."

She fought the urge to blush, especially when she recalled the fact the fight that had sent Nichol flying had been executed right in front of Lacus, something that had apparently amused the pink songstress to no end, even if she had had the good grace to wait until she was no longer present before showing that amusement. She still believed Tolle mentioning the songstress' private break down into helpless laughter in her own hearing had been deliberate, and she _would_ find a way to get back at him...eventually.

"Hey, guys, I'm here," Meryin's typically shy voice interrupted any attempt at responding to Athrun's last words, and Caggallie deliberately softened her expression before turning to the youngest member of their four man squad and meeting those tepid gray eyes. Meyrin was still terrified of this whole affair, and her lack of enthusiasm was easily apparent, and yet the girl had still _offered_ to help them without prompting, and for that, Caggallie knew she owed her a lot. "Commander Waltfield is waiting below, he says he's ready when we are."

"You have the plans?" Meyrin delivered the sheets of paper into Athrun's outstretched hands, and emerald eyes scanned them quickly, before they were rolled and shoved beneath his coat as well, "It's all in order," he informed the other two, "Shall we go?"

Caggallie simply nodded, feeling suddenly grim as she stepped towards the doorway, and as reality once more draped it's smothering blanket over them all. They had waited two months for this chance, but it would be their _only_ chance, because if they failed here, Kira would not be the only one who paid the price.

In actual fact, it could be the whole world that met that debt.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Terminals and Uniforms**

Mu didn't like being left out of the action, he never had, and he doubted he ever would, which was why it grated on his nerves so very much that he had been excluded from this rescue operation. He knew the reasoning, of course, that the group of youngsters were less likely to be remarked upon, that each and every one of them had a specific role, but he still didn't have to like it. Over the time he had served with Kira Yamato he had developed a liking for the kid, heck, he'd almost taken responsibility for him, and he still wasn't quite ready to forgive himself for not having been able to reach him before the enemy seized him. Which is why it made it all the more difficult to simply stand beside Andrew and watch as the foursome loaded what small gear they were taking into the back of the inconspicuous Hawk family car, at the same time running over the finer details of the scheme they had come up with. He didn't like to admit that he didn't know what that scheme was, but the foursome had chosen not to let anyone beyond their four and Lacus know, and that only worried him more.

Was it really _that_ dangerous?

Unlike Andrew, he would not be seeing them to the terminal, instead he and Murrue, as well as Natarle, a meeker spy you were unlikely to find, would be accompanying Lacus and Siegel on what the pink haired princess had so aptly dubbed 'other business'. Theoretically, Lacus could very well be in just as much danger as these four, but Mu didn't have the slightest touch of nerves about protecting her. _You just don't like to be left out, huh? _Trying to make light of the situation, and his own ridiculous feeling, Mu gave a half hearted salute as Caggallie approached the front of the car, addressing her in his usual familiar manner.

"Why, hello, Cags. It _is_ you, isn't it? I'm still having a hard time recognizing you in that get up."

"One day," the young woman stated icily, "You are going to pay for every last quip you've made. I'm keeping a quota, you know!"

"Good," he allowed himself to sober, "Because I expect it to be met in full. You aren't aloud to die until then, you understand?"

"Representative Attha will be fine, Lieutenant," the softly stated fact drew his attention to the Coordinator flanking the young princess, the hard, determined glint in those eyes only reaffirming the seriousness of the words, "I will make sure she gets back to you in one piece."

"_Stop _talking over my head," Caggallie snapped, with no real force behind her words, "And _you_," she turned on Athrun, "Are supposed to call me 'Caggallie', and if I was you I'd worry about getting yourself back in one piece, thank you very much! _I'm_ not the one always getting into trouble!"

"I'd like to have you all back in one piece, if you don't mind," Siegel Clyne interjected diplomatically, emerging from the hotel, with Murrue and Lacus in tow, Natarle stationing herself in the doorway, "Are you all ready?"

"Everything is taken care of, sir," Andrew agreed, leaning on the driver's side of the somewhat shabby vehicle, "Though I don't think we can guarantee a specific time of ETA either in the PLANTs or here. Has there been word from Amalfi?"

"None since the last broadcast," Siegel shook his head, "But, I believe that is a good indication. Yuri will have organized everything, and Aisha sent word that the exposed members of the Clyne Faction will also be accompanying you on the journey home. You will not be alone in this endeavor, and you will have all our prayers with you."

"What about your own mission?" Nichol asked quietly, "Do you think it will work?"

"Yeah," Mu could not help the automatic nod which came in response to those words, "If you don't succeed, then what these kids do ain't going to make a whole lot of difference."

"I am confident we can come to see eye to eye, with Natarle's help, of course." Siegel managed to sound confident, but then, he always was a morale booster, so Mu did not see that as any indication as to the truth. What they were trying to do was about as risky as poking ZAFT's soldiers with a hot poker, and, in the current times, that was just about death itself. But, if they wanted to fight back, they needed this as much as they needed Kira, and whoever else would ally themselves with them.

"We had better go," Andrew interjected, before the silence could drag itself out any further, "All aboard!"

Caggallie simply rolled her eyes, before climbing in the front seat beside the dark haired man, Meyrin and Nichol piling in the back, though a hand on Athrun's shoulder prevented him from following, Mu watching with interest as Siegel pulled the young Coordinator back. Athrun Zala was an intriguing puzzle to the blond pilot, one he had yet to fully unravel, mostly because the boy was not terribly forthcoming. Athrun had been trained in the same military as Nichol, but, unlike the younger boy, he had perfected the persona of a soldier, and he wore it like a second coat. It was Mu's goal to try and reach the person beneath that, more out of his own indomitable curiosity than anything, but also because he would have liked to know the reason for Athrun's abrupt change of heart in relevance to joining them. It paid to be able to understand ones allies, after all, it was the first step, as Lacus said, to understanding the enemy.

"Kira's life is important," Siegel stated softly, in a voice low enough that Mu had to edge closer to hear, "But no life is worth the price of another. Take care of yourself, Athrun."

"I will." for some reason, those green eyes flickered briefly to Lacus, before with a tight smile at the girl's father, Athrun turned and joined the others within the vehicle.

A moment later and they were watching the diminishing dust cloud disappear up the road, Lacus' soft sigh breaking through the stillness.

"They'll be fine," Mu said swiftly, seeing the girl's downcast face, "All four of them know what they're doing, uh, three of them, at least." He wasn't so sure about the Hawk girl, but the others would see to it she came to no harm.

"In any case," Siegel nodded, turning away from the horizon and walking back towards the house, and their own mission, "We have our own task to take care of. Theirs is up to them, because to help them now, there is absolutely nothing we can do."

* * *

Talia Gladys was a well known captain within the ZAFT frontline forces, being one of very few female captains, as well as the one to hold the record for being in the most battles in space, and for not only being in the most, but also pulling off many a hard won victory, and maintaining her vessel, the Silver Wind, despite the fact her team was constantly changing. Talia had played tutor to many teams of elites fresh out of the Academy, it had become an almost constant job for her, and the moment those elites became an intimate part of the crew they were shipped off to form teams of their own. To start with it had been something of a disconcerting occurrence, but as time passed and it became such a regular thing it was expected, she had adjusted to it.

That did not mean, on the other hand, that she ever forgot those youngsters who trained beneath her, and, from time to time, whenever she had leave on the PLANTs, she would always try to catch up with as many of those who had served beneath her as she could. Of course, since the recent victories on Earth she had had more and more time on leave, which made catching up with old comrades a lot easier, and it had not been at all difficult to succeed in attaining an audience with Lieutenant Heine Westenfluss, one of the few pilots who had remained within her ship for most of the fifteen months or so the war had been going, only recently tugged away to serve at Headquarters in the Intelligence Unit, and then, almost immediately afterwards, inserted into the Joule Team along with Talia's latest batch of newbies, under a captain several years younger than himself. Heine had been a great help to her in training up and coming pilots, and so it had seemed natural to hunt him out first, though the topic of conversation to which they had eventually been drawn was far from what she had expected.

Heine had always been something of an optimist in Talia's experience, with a matter of fact attitude when it came to war and fighting. Heine's motto was that you 'did what you had to', no more, and no less, and though killing was something no one could enjoy, Heine accepted it as an inevitable part of war, something that had helped many a younger recruit come to grips with the cold reality. Which was why she was so surprised when it was Heine, of all people, who first expressed discomfort with the situation on Earth.

"I understand the Chairman's view, to a point, at least," he stated quietly, fingering the delicate crockery of the street cafe without once taking a sip of the beverage within, his eyes watching the liquid swirl, "However, there are several points of this occupation that I find...inadmissible, the first of those being the large costs of lives."

"Cost of lives?" Talia prodded gently, watching the foot traffic passing by outside and her lunch companion at the same time, "Isn't that sort of thing expected in such a large scale operation?"

"Military lives, yes," Heine placed his drink down, turning to look at her directly, "That I have no problems with. They are the enemy, and in order to fulfill our roles as soldiers we must fight them, it is the loss of innocents I refer to in this case. You were not stationed on Earth at the time, Captain, so I don't expect you to understand. I myself was only there for the battle of Orb, but even that was enough to show how little regard was being given to the citizens of these nations now under our control. I do not doubt there would have still been rebellions even had the invasion been better controlled, but with such a lack of care for the civilians I believe the Chairman is inviting rebellion with open arms, particularly with this latest news that the supply of life's necessities has been growing increasingly erratic. This is not the way to win the people over to his side, and seeing as that cause was a difficult enough one already..."

"That is the purpose of GENESIS, though, is it not?" Talia was not sure how she felt about the super weapon that had so many people up in arms, though as a member of the military she had seen more of it's use than most. Since it's completion a month before GENESIS had been fired four times during skirmishes in space with those forces of the Earth Alliance still operational on the moon base, but the final blast, which had destroyed one of those very bases, had silenced even that form of protest. She had to wonder, however, if the Chairman would go so far as to fire it on Earth should the rebellions begin there next. "To banish all chances of protest?"

"According to the original proclamation," Heine reminded her, "It was to be used for self defense purposes only."

"That's true," Talia conceded, "But, that is the way politicians talk."

"There's talk within a lot of forces being kept here on the PLANTs," Heine informed her, his voice somewhat subdued, "A lot of people are beginning to believe Miss Clyne told the truth in her address."

"And you?" Talia could not help but ask that question, "What do _you_ think?"

"Hey," Heine raised his cup in a mock toast, "I'm just a soldier, Captain, I go where I am sent. All I'm hoping is that the Chairman realizes that not everyone employed in his army _will_."

"I see," Talia considered his words for a moment, well aware of their implications, before deciding a change of subject was in order. This conversation was trekking dangerously close to what might be considered treachery, she knew, and she also knew when to let a matter lie, at least until she had had time to mull it over. "How are Rey and the others doing?"

"Same as always, Captain," Heine cast her an amused smile over the rim of his cup, "Shin's a ball of fire, Luna's chipper as ever, though she seems a bit preoccupied lately, and Rey just sits through it all in silence. Sometimes, I think he does it just to tease the others, make them guess what he's thinking, you know?"

"Sometimes I wonder as well," sighing she pushed her own empty cup and saucer away, folding her hands beneath her chin, and fixing her gaze over his shoulder as opposed to watching her friend's face, "Sometimes I think it might have been better not to mention the truth of matters..."

"He would have found out eventually,better that it be from you, and not from some stranger, or worse." Heine shrugged lightly, his voice taking on a comforting note she was well accustomed to. Heine was one of the few people who knew the truth surrounding this matter, and one of the even fewer who knew the truth and did not condemn her for it. For a moment he simply watched her through slightly narrowed green eyes, before seeming to come to some decision, and speaking again, "You're worried it might happen again, aren't you? You're worried you'll lose him the same way as the other..."

"I've been scared of that for some time," she admitted at last, glancing down at the table, "But I can't help but feel that the times are lending more fodder to that fear. And after seeing how _he_ turned out..."

"That wasn't your fault," Heine stated pointedly, "And you can't just presume Rey will be the same. The kid is doing well, give him a chance, he might just surprise you."

"He had better," Talia muttered, not quite under her breath, "The world can't handle any more madmen at the moment."

* * *

The terminal was a flood of humanity, bustling in and out, rising and falling like a tempest. Soldiers, guards, civilians, children. It might have been normal, might have _seemed_ natural, were it not for the desperation clearly displayed in so many faces, the look of people who wanted only to escape, their lives, and the world. The look that twisted Caggallie's insides in knots, and threatened to tear her heart right out of her chest. These were her people, her _father's_ people, suffering, and yet there was nothing she could do but watch. Stand by as helplessly as any of these desperate souls, and bloody _watch, _because her situation was just as desperate. Tears sprung into her eyes, threatening to fall, and she was startled by a soft, gently reassuring touch on her shoulder, squeezing briefly, before it was supplanted by the slight brush of fabric as he brushed past her, reminding her of her duty. That silent offering did more for her than all the words of comfort in the world could have done, and with only a slight hesitance in her stride she proceeded to follow the other three, thinking, not for the first time, how well the position of silent strength seemed to suit Athrun.

_Seemed_ being the key word here, for there was another side to that story, another side to the thoughtlessly given comfort, to the natural instinct to place other's needs above his own. Athrun knew how to comfort others, or, in her own scenario, how to reveal to them what they needed to see, the problem was nobody knew how to return the favor, and Athrun, set in his own role as the pillar of strength, did not know how to ask for it. Lacus and Kira had both tried to do for Athrun what Athrun had done for Caggallie, and yet neither had succeeded, unable to find the words to enlighten him, unable to allay nagging doubts and fears that kept him anchored firmly where he was. And, as for the comforting side of things, well, people rarely even realized he was in pain to begin with. Such situations as she had been privy to on that island were amazingly rare, almost nonexistent, in fact, and it was so easy to simply forget that there was a person behind that calm, quiet facade who needed reassuring just as much as anyone else.

That particular person in question had just walked up to one of the ZAFT soldiers, voicing a question politely, calmly, and in the most natural way possible that Caggallie was quite sure he was insane. She hadn't been told _this_ part of the plan! Then again, maybe that was why Athrun and Nichol had vanished a few moments before, the moments which had allowed her to look at her people's faces, because they had some secret plan and...Her thoughts trailed off, her mouth dropping open as she came to realize what it was she _hadn't_ realized, something that was so startlingly obvious she couldn't believe she had missed it.

Athrun was dressed in red, and not just any red, but the blood red of the ZAFT elite uniform, with the insignia of the PLANTs standing out on his collar. Standing beside her was Nichol, in similar dress, one hand firmly on Meyrin's arm, and the other watching Caggallie through an almost slitted gaze. Taken aback she stared back at him, then at Athrun, then back again, before slow realization dawned on her. Her and Meyrin were the decoys! The arrested citizens, or whatever other excuse Athrun had come up with to get them into the hangar bay, though how the pair of them dared to wear those colors when it made them stand out amongst all the greens she did not know, and it made her tremble to think of the implications should they be caught.

"Are we all good?" Nichol's soft utterance made her aware of the fact Athrun had walked back across to them, simply giving a quick nod to Nichol, before taking Caggallie by the arm and steering her away from the main crowd at the same time as he responded to the initial question.

"We have permission to enter the hangar bay. We're lucky, there's no one but greens here for the moment, no commanders or anything. They didn't even ask to see my identification."

"What?" Nichol looked somewhat surprised, and Caggallie almost echoed that, before remembering she was supposed to be a prisoner, "What did you tell him?"

"That's easy," Athrun simply smiled as they stepped between the two guards on duty, both of whom had been informed of the situation by the other soldier, whatever that situation was supposed to be, "I told him my name was Athrun Zala."

* * *

The collision was inevitable the moment the both of them ended up at one end of the hallway each, with no doorways on either side, and each of them left with only one way to reach their destination. It would have been something he would have avoided if he could, and he was sure the other felt the same, but now there was nothing for it but to walk steadily towards each other, pausing in the middle as blue clashed with the unreadable sockets of that mask. The silence lasted for a good while, weighted in every way, before the taller of the pair took several steps forward, placing himself behind the younger, though the moment he had gone that far Rey Za Burrel broke his silence.

"Do you really intend to go through with this plan of yours?"

"I do," the masked face turned slightly to glance over the white coated shoulder, and Rey half turned, placing his back against the wall of the hall, and meeting that gaze head on, "If you were wise," the other man added softly, "You would join me."

"I'm not insane."

"Not yet," he let that comment hang for a moment, before giving an abrupt laugh, his next question tinged with mirth, "How long do you really think you can survive living this life? Both of us were created for a purpose, and I failed to achieve mine. The lot then falls to you."

"It doesn't have to," he forced his voice to remain level, to not quaver at the fate that had haunted his dreams and waking hours for longer than he would have liked to admit, or that anyone would have ever realized. To the others he was calm, inside, he was terrified, and this man only served to make it worse, "And it won't," he added after a moments thought, "If you destroy the world."

"Who said that was my intention in the first place?"

"I know you well enough to see what you are doing," the older of the pair was being evasive, though it was not the first time, and he merely narrowed his eyes to slits as he considered his near enemy, "I won't allow it."

"Which begs the question of which one is more foolish," Rau Le Creuset laughed again, far from a sane sound, that echoed throughout the empty hall, "The one who plots, or the one who is naïve enough to believe he can _stop_ the plotting?"

* * *

"Are you angry with me?"

It was not an entirely unfamiliar position, lying back to back with this young woman, although the last time had been for convenience of comfort, rather than for a lack of space, and in a very distinctly different scenario. Even so, the familiarity of the situation had not escaped his notice, and for a long moment he had not minded the silence, using it to reflect on that time, perhaps one of the darkest times in his life, but also the time that had led to his greatest decision. It had only been when _she_ hadn't spoken that he had begun to suspect something might be wrong, and so he chose the most logical irritant he could think of; Himself.

"No," her response came after only a brief pause, "I wouldn't say I'm angry. Just a little surprised...Where did you even get those uniforms?"

"Marchio," he responded at once, somewhat relieved at that explanation. "He also told us of this freighter's past. ZAFT used them to smuggle resources down to their forces during the initial stages of the war. It seems ironic that they should serve our purposes now."

"What about once we get to the other end?" Caggallie shifted slightly, "I presume you have a plan for that?"

"Well, the same one certainly won't work at that end," he admitted quietly, "The only reason it worked here was because my father never had my death officially announced. Most people don't know I'm MIA, and those that do weren't stationed at Orb. The PLANTs, on the other hand, will be a different matter, which is where Councilor Amalfi comes in. This freighter will be unloaded by members of the Clyne Faction, who will provide us with security passes by which we can enter the facility where Kira is being kept. From there Nichol and I will go to the control centre and try to stage the movements of you and Meyrin around the security on guard within the building. The security outside is supposed to be members of the Clyne Faction as well, so getting out shouldn't be an issue."

"And you couldn't tell me this before...why?" the sharpness of that question was the tone he had expected, just much earlier in the conversation.

"You had to look suitably worried, Caggallie, and, you must admit, you aren't very good at looking helpless. One look at the expressions on yours and Meyrin's faces and that guard was convinced."

"That isn't funny!" A sharp elbow in his ribs punctuated her words, and he had to smother a grunt. She proceeded in a more quiet tone, subdued, even, "It was a great risk, though, wasn't it?"

"It was," he conceded, knowing it would do no good to deny it, "That was...a part of the reason I didn't tell you."

A snort of disbelief, that told him she didn't think it was just a _part_, and then they lapsed into silence again. Caggallie seemed quite content to leave it that way, but Athrun could not resist asking the question that now came to mind, a question he had been wanting to ask her ever since that day on the island.

"Why did you come back?"

"Huh?" There was confusion in her tone, and patiently he elucidated.

"That day we first met," he replied softly, "Why did you come back?"

This time the pause was so long he began to wonder if she would answer at all, but the at last the answer came, so softly he almost didn't hear it.

"I don't know."

The answer was honest, and he gave a short laugh, before uttering with complete sincerity.

"Great, that makes two of us."

"Don't do that." She scolded at once, taking him by surprise, and he answered with genuine bewilderment.

"Do what?"

"Belittle yourself," she returned at once, making him stiffen, a motion she was bound to feel, given their current position, "You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for, and I would have been a fool not to go back that day."

"It was me being a fool that put me there in the first place," he reminded her, almost casually, though it took an effort to keep the edge out his voice, "I hurt Kira and..."

"It's all right." he jumped at the touch of her fingers on his hand, squeezing lightly, and could not quite suppress the sigh that shuddered through his body.

"I still can't believe I went that far," he admitted in a small voice, glowering at the dark panel before him, wishing it could supply the answers to those many questions still without them, "I honestly would have killed him..."

"People do stupid things when they want to protect something," Caggallie responded quietly, not removing her hand from it's current position, "Kira was threatening what was precious to you, it was a natural reaction. Anyway, you shouldn't be worrying about that now, we have a mission to concentrate on, and you can't go letting yourself get distracted. You're our master planner, you know."

"Right." he nodded slightly, brushing the unanswered questions to the back of his mind in a practiced mental gesture. Someday, he knew he was going to have to confront them, but today was not that day. Today there was another thing that required his attention, and once again, it was Kira's life that lay in the balance.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Where There Is a Will, There is a Way**

It had been a split second decision that saved Kira Yamato's life, in that brief moment when the pilot of the Destiny made the decision to capture the Freedom for ZAFT rather than destroy the new model machine, to preserve a life he could have taken in seconds. It seemed ironic, then, that the decision to destroy the pilot's life was taking this long.

The court room was huge, oval, and hollow, it also echoed, despite the fact it was practically filled to overflowing. After all, it wasn't every day you got to see one of the youngest war criminals in history have his life hung perilously close to the edge. This was not the first time, though, for Kira Yamato's case had already gone through several sessions with no conclusion, thanks to the intervention of Councilor Amalfi, who, for some reason, had had the inclination to play defense. His plead that the young pilot had never officially signed any papers marking him a member of the military had kept the prosecution at bay for some time, but the council was getting tired of running in circles, and Kira did not need to know much about the process of court to know he was hanging by a thread, a thread that was fraying quickly.

The last two months had been a type of living hell, though he had not been treated badly, having been kept in relatively comfortable quarters and never rough handled, in spite of Commander Joule's threats that later proved themselves empty. But, these things were small comfort, when he heard the news of what was happening on Earth; people had been turned out of their homes, poverty was striking everywhere, and all former world leaders had been forced into hiding. The latter piece of news had brought him some peace of mind, Caggallie was safe, and that was all that mattered.

Court was in session, but he barely paid any attention to what the people were saying, his eyes drifting listlessly over the crowd, picking out the people he knew almost mechanically. Yzak Joule was there, along with his second in command, Dearka Elsman, and the rest of the team Kira had never bothered to get acquainted with. They weren't there by choice, but had merely shown up because they were expected to. The prosecution he also knew, although he doubted Rau Le Creuset knew _him_. Nichol had described the masked man during the brief interludes between battles, and there was no mistaking his appearance.

_Nichol_, that name brought his thoughts back to the plight of his comrades. He had no idea how many of them had survived, as far as he knew all three of the new pilots from Orb had been killed, without mercy, by people barely out of their teens. _Was I ever any different?_

His gaze passed back over to the Joule Team, the official replacement for the Zala Team, or so he guessed. Yzak was speaking with Dearka in low tones, the both of them looking worried about something, although Kira could not begin to guess what. ZAFT's invasion had passed off flawlessly, both the Earth Alliance and Orb were subdued, so what could possibly go wrong? The rest of the team looked bored, the youngest, a raven haired youth with dark, flashing crimson eyes had perfected the bored expression, and Kira doubted he took any interest in the proceedings at all. The oldest of the group, a chestnut haired man with green eyes was the only one who really appeared to be listening, although it seemed to be more out of polite interest than anything. The young, blond man's face was expressionless as always, Kira had come to expect it, and would have been disappointed if it had not been so.

It was the girl who confused him.

She was sitting quietly, head downcast, and it looked like she had been crying. It made him feel uncomfortable, although he could not figure out why he should care. He sighed and shook his head, turning wearily back to Le Creuset's hired representative, who was still listing off reasons why Kira's civilian status was moot, the fact he had been piloting a vessel stolen by the Clyne Faction not the least of them.

_Can't they just get this over with? Kill me already! _Kira blinked slightly, _When did I start thinking like that?_

Forcing such depressing thoughts out of his mind he swept the crowd once again, and it was only then he finally noticed the three figures hovering in the shadow of the doorway, having not taken a seat yet. He frowned the moment his eyes laid sight upon them, instinctively knowing there was something familiar about them, although he could almost swear he did not know them. For starters both the girls had red hair, one had it tied in two pigtails and appeared to be about sixteen, the other's hung in a rough ponytail, and Kira guessed her to be about his own age. The third member of the group was too far into the shadow for him to pick out any discernible features other than that it was a 'he'.

Kira's scowl deepened, his attention still riveted on the trio, though it was only when the older girl marked his gaze and gave him a quick wave, right before all three of them vanished, that he realized. His jaw dropped open instantly as his mind began to race, but amongst all his frantic wonderings there was only one wholly cognitive thought. _What on earth...Was she doing here?_

"The prosecution's point has been taken into consideration," Kira forced his attention back to the trial as the judge spoke, "The jury will adjourn, and give their verdict this afternoon at two P.M sharp."

Kira heard his defense let out a long breath at that utterance, and visibly relax, turning and pacing across the room to speak with his 'client' before Kira was taken back to the cell he was sure he had memorized. "You seemed distracted, Mr. Yamato, is something wrong?"

"Not really," Kira shrugged, answering truthfully, "I'm just tired of this whole thing. If they are going to shoot me, can't they get on with it?"

The older man looked slightly disturbed at his words, but lowered his voice and replied anyway, "Don't give up just yet. I've heard news that Orb is active again, you'll get out of this, I swear."

Kira caught an edge to the man's voice, but by this time the guards had approached and he was unable to voice his question. The Councilor merely gave him a reassuring nod as he was taken away, but all Kira could do was shake his head. He already knew his time was running out, and he didn't see how Councillor Amalfi could still be so optimistic, didn't he realize they had already lost?

In fact, they had lost two months ago, on the day that ZAFT took over, the same day liberty died.

* * *

Nichol shifted his feet uneasily, running a hand through his apple green locks and glancing at the digits appearing on the consoles before him. He still couldn't quite believe they had gotten this far unnoticed, although there _had_ been one guard at the door that looked at him funny. He was sure then they had been recognized, but after a moment they had been allowed through, and his fears had proved unfounded. Of course, if they were found here, in the control centre, they would not be overlooked quite so easily. Sighing he tried to focus on the screens once more, though every once in a while his gaze would automatically shift to his companion, who was seated before the controls, intent on his task.

He frowned a moment, then opened his mouth to speak softly, "Remind me again how you even _know_ the security codes for ZAFT?"

Athrun looked up and opened his mouth, but Nichol waved a hand absently, "Never mind, I probably don't want to know."

The older boy smiled faintly, before turning back to the screen, hands flying over the keypad, "Have you heard from the girls yet?"

"No," Nichol looked down at the communicator on his arm, "It's not time yet."

Athrun nodded, but did not turn away from his project, leaving Nichol with little to do but sigh and lean back against the wall, "I saw Yzak and Dearka in the court room."

"Hmm?"

"They weren't really taking any interest, not that I was expecting them to. I..also saw the rest of the team. They're all young, except for Heine Westenfluss. He was present at the battle over the moon colonies, you remember?"

"Not really, is it relevant?"

"No," Nichol admitted as he folded his arms, resisting an urge to hop from one leg to another. Such a one sided conversation was hardly remedial for nerves that had him jumping at the sound of his own clothes brushing against the walls, but just talking seemed to help, so he carried on anyway, "Except that the only female on that team happens to be Mey's sister."

His companion mouthed a silent 'oh', then frowned suddenly as a red dial began to flash on the screen.

"What's up?" Nichol straightened immediately, his stomach turning somersaults.

His friend only shook his head, obviously trying to find a way to shut down the alarm, whilst speaking in a grim tone, "You'd better tell the girls to hurry up, they are about to get company."

* * *

Meyrin Hawk, younger sister to elite ZAFT pilot, Lunamaria Hawk, citizen of Orb, and relatively unknown hacker, glanced at her red haired companion nervously, "What's up?"

"Nothing," The older girl shrugged, placing a hand briefly over the com, "Just hurry up and get that door open."

Meyrin frowned, knowing instinctively that Caggallie was lying, then nodded obediently and went back to her task as the other girl continued to talk into the wrist mounted device.

"What do you mean 'they're coming after us', Nichol?" She demanded sharply, a clear edge to her voice.

"Apparently there was a secret trip wire," Nichol's voice crackled back down the line, "Don't worry, we're locking as many doors as we can to slow them down."

"Oh, yeah? And how are we supposed to get _out_?"

Nichol did not respond to that because his partner in crime had taken the mike, "Don't worry, Miss Attha, we'll plot your course out, and Nichol can guide you."

Caggallie sighed, though whether in irritation of being called by her title again, or because of the situation Meyrin could not tell, "Fine, fine." she would have gone further, only at that moment Meyrin let out a little squeal of triumph as the door slid smoothly open.

Immediately ceasing transmitting Caggallie switched off her device and stepped into the plain room, Meyrin only a step behind, not wanting to be left out in the hallway alone.

"Kira?" The single occupant of the room bolted out of bed immediately, brown hair messy and violet eyes wide in surprise.

"CAGGALLIE? What did you do to your hair? And your eyes..."

"Dye and contact lenses," His twin stated impatiently, the answers so obvious Meyrin wondered if the boy was still half asleep, or whether it was simply shock messing with his head, "Now come on, unless you _want_ to be shot!"

Kira winced visibly and quickly pulled on some shoes , trailing Caggallie out of the room, though it was only once he was outside that he took note of the fact his sister was not alone, throwing her a quizzical glance.

"This is Meyrin Hawk," The blonde now redhead explained, "Her parents have been hiding us all this time, and it is she who hacked your door."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr Yamato," Meyrin said shyly, her head ducked, before raising her wrist to her mouth, "All right, Nichol, where do we go from here?"

* * *

Kira was amazed at just how flawless the rescue plan was, and, although it sounded awful, he could not quite believe Caggallie could have come up with something so well planned and organized, not on her own, in any case. She had never been one for a such a subtle approach before, in any case. "How did you get in?" he panted, as they dodged down yet another side hall.

"You can thank Councilor Amalfi for that," Caggallie flashed him a brief smile, before turning her eyes back to the tunnels through which they were flying, "As soon as this is all over he's coming back to Orb with us."

"But how did you get up here at all?" Kira wondered aloud, stumbling as he tried to keep up. He hadn't had a chance to walk, let alone run, for two months, and it was showing, "I mean, I thought they had a blockade for that?"

"They do," Meyrin smiled, "But our master planner figured out a way around that." The admiration in her voice was clear, but Kira found their evasiveness irritating.

"And just who is the master planner?"

"You'll see soon enough," Caggallie grinned, obviously enjoying the whole affair, "Look! Daylight!"

But her joy lasted only a moment, for no sooner had they stepped outside then the sound of rifles being cocked broke the ecstatic silence. Kira moved instinctively to place himself between the two girls and the five or so soldiers, looking as surprised as the trio, now moving to surround them, bracing himself as the lead soldier raised his rifle and...

"I wouldn't do that."

Kira very nearly jumped out of his skin at the second interruption, spinning about to stare in disbelief at the figure who now stepped out of the shadows of the entranceway, a significantly smaller weapon clutched in his hand, but a deadly glint to those emerald eyes that was frightening to behold, all the more so when Kira was not quite convinced he was not looking at a ghost.

"What do you intend to do, boy?" the leader of the soldiers snarled, though he moved no further, "You can't possibly take down all of us before we fire!"

"Are you so sure?" now that Athrun had stepped fully into the daylight the crimson color of the jacket he wore was easily visible, as well as the insignia of the PLANTs displayed on the collar, "I graduated at the top of my class, how about you, green coat?"

"An elite red!" the hiss did not come from the leader, even though he had stiffened abruptly, and Kira could now read the unease in their eyes.

"Hey," the leader snapped, "What's going on here? What are you trying to pull?"

"If you're not careful," the casual way Athrun handled his weapon was almost frightening, "My trigger. I don't want to fight you, but I'm not going to let you shoot me or anyone else standing here either. You can still just walk away."

"Red elite or not," it was clear now the leader was not going to back down, and Kira gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the inevitable. He didn't have a gun, and even if he had, he didn't know how to use it. Plus, they were outnumbered, and the moment a shot was fired there was no doubt more soldiers would be descending on them. "You're still just one against many. Now _I'll_ offer you an ultimatum, hand over the weapon and we won't harm any of you, but..."

Kira jumped as the loud bang sounded, Meyrin letting out a frightened scream, and Caggallie taking a step back that had her standing right behind Kira. The soldiers were taken aback as well, spinning around to try and see where the warning shot had been fired from, and Athrun took the opportunity in both hands. Five rapid bangs later, and every last one of the soldiers were standing with empty hands, with the pistol still cocked on them. Two pistols, Kira amended, as he saw Nichol come running from the opposite direction, flanked by his father. It was the Councilor who addressed those now held prisoner, in the same calm, rational tone he had used during the trial.

"Now, then, just remain quiet and none of you will be harmed," he stated quietly, "There will be no aid coming, I'm afraid, as it would seem the rest of the soldiers on duty are...missing," he smiled slightly then, before turning apologetically to Athrun, "My apologies, this shift must have been changed. They were meant to be ours."

"It doesn't matter now," Athrun responded instantly, "We need to get out of here, before the trial resumes. You five get in there," he gestured towards the alley through which Kira's party had exited, before turning to Meyrin, "Can you lock the door?"

"Ah-huh!"

Meyrin bobbed her head quickly, heading for the control panel as Athrun and Nichol drove the five calmly within the enclosed space, their other route of escape closed off by the doors that had been shutting behind the trio as they made their getaway. A moment later the final door had closed, leaving them alone in the street together, and it was only then, as Nichol, Caggallie, and the Councilor collected the dropped weapons of the soldiers that Kira finally had the chance to take a good look at his friend.

Last time he had seen Athrun the other boy had been in a coma, wrapped in bandages, and hovering dangerously close to death. It was quite a shock to see him here, particularly as the 'master planner', which Kira had immediately concluded. Athrun was not unscathed, however, Kira noticed guiltily the scar traveling across his left cheek, stopping only millimeters from his eye. A little further and it would have...The distinctive click of the gun being reloaded draw his attention from his friend's face to his hands, and he watched in somewhat morbid fascination as Athrun calmly checked the weapon, which had not been completely empty, before lifting his head, a slightly curious look on his face as he met Kira's gaze.

"Kira?" The brunette blinked suddenly, realizing he had been spacing out, "Are you all right?"

"Um, yeah,it's...nothing," Kira stammered awkwardly, "What now?"

"Now, we are going to hijack one of these shuttles," Nichol replied cheerfully, approaching the rest of the group, "My father's, to be precise."

"We should go now," Nichol's parent interrupted anxiously, "It won't be long now before we are discovered...This way."

Kira instinctively fell into step with Athrun as the group moved off, his eyes not failing to notice the slight stiffness in all the other's movements, or the still pale hue of his skin. It was clear the difference between life and death had been a near thing, but other than the noticeable evidence Athrun seemed fine, much to Kira's relief. It had been near torment lying in his cell and wondering if his friend had survived, survived after putting his life on the line to save Kira. His thoughts were interrupted once again as they reached the boarding ramp of the Councilor's vessel, several people dressed in the ZAFT uniform he did not recognize hurriedly ushering them inside, and directly to the bridge. He froze as Athrun paused to drop his pistol into Kira's hands, before slotting quickly into the pilot seat, whilst Caggallie took the co-pilot position, and Meyrin slid into the transmission station.

Handling the weapon gingerly Kira looked around the undermanned bridge in surprise, before uttering his thoughts aloud, "You guys are the only ones who came?"

"We couldn't risk a large party," Caggallie explained as the engines roared into life, Athrun ignored the conversation as he went through all the pre-flight checks, before activating the vessel fully and launching them, unchallenged, from the Councilor's private hangar, "So we only brought who we needed. Nichol, to get in contact with his father, Athrun, to hack the systems, Meyrin, to pick the locks to your room, and myself to make sure you agreed to come with us."

"What about Mu and the others?" Kira asked anxiously, unable to quite banish the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach, so he asked the question he really wanted answered, even if the name he spoke was not the one he really wanted to speak, "What happened after I was captured?"

"Lacus is fine, Kira." Athrun's tone was soft, and he did not turn away from the screen, merely pausing slightly, his hair shielding any expression he might have had on his face.

"Athrun!" Before Kira could comment Meyrin had interrupted, "We're nearing the blockade."

"All right," Athrun brought his attention back to the controls, "Hold on tight, this is going to be rough."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Blockade**

Shin paused a moment, hesitantly eyeing the back of the older girl,considering whether this was such a wise decision after all, before bracing his shoulders and walking over to join her, "Hey, Luna? You okay?" He sat down beside her without waiting for an answer, hoping his physical movements would get more response than the nil reaction his verbal efforts inspired, but she had turned her face away in a vain attempt to hide her tears, and she wasn't turning back. Shin sat in silence, fidgeting uncomfortably and trying to think of something to say, before at last uttering tentatively, "I...I'm sure they'll be okay, Luna."

"But there hasn't been words for months," Luna snapped her head around, the fact she had been crying plain for all to see, "They say Orb is in a state of chaos, Shin, and the Commander wouldn't even gratify my request to go there and make sure my family was all right!"

"Commander Joule has to follow the orders of his superiors," Shin replied softly, "I'm sure your family is fine, Luna, it's not like they were military or anything, right?"

Luna sniffed slightly, but there was a trace of hope in her voice now, "You really think so?"

"Um, sure," he nodded, "And don't worry, as soon as all the rebellions have been taken care of everything will be fine, and you'll get time off to go see them."

Luna nodded, but she did not look convinced, "Shin...Do you think ZAFT is in the right?"

Shin was slightly taken aback by that question, but answered almost instantly, "I...Uh, of course. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Luna smiled faintly, "I used to study history a lot when I was younger, and it always seemed that the people who strove to hold the biggest empire, were always the ones who turned out evil in the end. Don't get me wrong, I understand that Chairman Zala is just trying to protect Coordinators in general, but at what cost? Even Lacus Clyne believed his methods were extreme."

Shin's face darkened at the mention of the famous singer, and his reply was terse, "Lacus was a traitor, Luna, her opinion can't be trusted."

"And who are we to judge?" Luna glared at him slightly, and he jerked away from her, taken aback by such a vehement reaction, "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, Shin. My parents _believed_ in the ideals of Orb, and I trust my parents. I do not think they would have put their faith behind a nation with false beliefs. Orb _was_ only trying to protect itself, maybe it made mistakes, but the Chief Representative is only a year older than myself, they should not have been so severely punished for it."

"Orb broke the rules of it's treaty," Shin snorted stubbornly, irritated that Luna should be speaking in such a way, especially now. "And you had better stop talking like this, Luna, or you're going to get into trouble."

"So you're saying things are that bad I'm not even allowed to voice my opinion?" Luna was truly angry now, and getting to her feet she glared at the younger pilot, "Look around you, Shin! The world is in a state of chaos! What kind of leader allows his people to starve? And it's not just the Naturals, either, Coordinators are suffering as well. Don't say you haven't noticed it, everybody has. To begin with I believed in Patrick Zala's ideals, but now I'm not so sure, I've even heard rumors that his own son defected."

"Athrun Zala was killed in action," Shin retorted, "So screw that theory! And I don't care what you think, Luna, because, quite frankly? I think the Earth needs to pay for what it did."

_"Pay?"_ Luna was incredulous, "It's all about revenge for you, isn't it, Shin? Is that why you joined the army, so you could make them pay for what they did to your family? If that is so I don't see how your morals can be sound. I suggest you have a serious think about what you are really fighting for, because it sure as hell ain't the good of humanity, or Coordinators for that matter!"

Without further comment Luna stormed back inside the court house, leaving Shin frozen in place, stunned by her forceful words.

* * *

"Thirty ships?" Kira looked at Meyrin in disbelief, well, disbelief, horror, and _fear_, "Tell me again how we are going to get past a blockade that huge?"

"Quiet easily, actually," Athrun responded, not even turning around, "Ever since the attack on Earth ZAFT has had to constantly fight to keep it's position of dominance, therefore, the guard on Genesis was not replenished, it is still only watched by untrained soldiers."

"Right," Kira nodded slightly, "So we are going to sneak out past their super powered _cannon_ and get back to Earth that way?"

"The cannon isn't fully active yet, Kira," Caggallie reminded him, surprisingly calmly,"And it takes a good deal of time to charge. It has only been used thrice or so since it was activated last month , and that was mostly just to put down small rebellions. Trust me, in a vessel as small as this one our best route of escape is past that cannon."

Kira sighed dubiously, but made no further argument, his eyes drifting instead to the screen which showed the huge machine, some parts still in stages of construction, looking strangely docile against the backdrop of space.

"We'll be fine," Yuri Amalfi told him simply, before turning to greet the middle aged, dark haired woman who had just stepped within the bridge, "Ah, Aisha, I was wondering where you had gotten to. How many came?"

"About thirty or so members, all from different parts of the military, so we should have enough to complete the crew of the Eternal, and fill in any other spaces elsewhere," the woman smiled, then turned to Kira, "Hello, there, I don't believe we've been introduced yet. I'm Aisha, Andrew's fiancee."

"Oh, uh, right," Kira stammered, taken aback by the casual introduction, especially in their current situation, "Kira Yamato."

"Yes, I know you quite well," Aisha smiled as she shook his hand, "You've been at the root of most of our operations for the last eight weeks."

"Oh, er, sorry." Feeling rather sheepish Kira withdrew his hand, only to turn when he heard Caggallie laugh slightly.

"You'd better be sorry," she chuckled when he turned to meet her gaze inquisitively, "You had us all worried sick! Not to mention all the time we had to waste coming to rescue you! And the planning..."

"You didn't have a part in the planning, anyway," Nichol reminded her in an amused sounding tone, perched opposite Meyrin in the transmission centre. To Kira it still seemed strange to be on a vessel without a Combat Centre, and he had to keep reminding himself why there were fewer seats, "Remember?"

"Right, you just _had_ to bring that up, didn't you?" Caggallie shot the young Coordinator a dark glare, to which Nichol simply gave a nervous chuckle. Kira shook his head in bemusement, unsure how to take all this, before his mind was taken off the odd exchange completely as the ship gave a sudden shudder.

"You guys had better hold onto something," Athrun stated grimly, one hand raised above his head to adjust some sort of stability to control, whilst the other remained on the steering controls, "This could get pretty nasty."

Kira swallowed, pushing off the wall to float over and place himself behind Meyrin and Nichol, clutching a hold of the back of one of the seats, just in time too, for Athrun chose that precise moment to engage the ship in a steep dive. Kira held back a yell as he was tossed about, despite the fact there no gravity, for the ship's momentum still affected his positioning, almost crashing into Councilor Amalfi, who remained grimly quiet, even if his face looked slightly strained. Aisha had braced herself in the doorway, and the others were seated, allowing them some measure of security.

As the ship leveled out again it trembled, the rumble of explosions signifying that sneaking past GENESIS had not been quite so easy as Caggallie had made out.

"Athrun!" Nichol shouted, "They're right on us! At least six of them!"

"Isn't there something we can bloody well do?" Caggallie demanded immediately afterwards, as another explosions sent even those seated grabbing for stability, "We're going to get slaughtered!"

"This is a luxury cruiser," Athrun reminded her, remarkably calm, and still only steering with one hand. Kira tried to make out what he was doing on the upper console, but he was at too great a distance to see for sure, "It doesn't have any weapons. On the other hand,the armor is similar to a mobile suit. I think I can make it do the same thing the Justice did."

"And that was?" Caggallie asked tersely, though by the look Athrun shot her it was not an answer he was willing to give.

"If I drop the shields I can convert that power to speed, it should get us well and truly clear of them."

"Are you crazy?" This time it was Nichol who made the uncharacteristic exclamation, alarm clearly visible on his face, "They'll blow us away, Athrun!"

"_Not_ if they can't keep up with us," was the grim response, "We're going to get blown away anyway. All we have to do is delay them long enough to get a good lead, then we'll be safe."

"And how do you intend to do _that_?" Caggallie retorted sharply, "Hang a sign out the back that says 'back off'?"

"Not quite," the smile on Athrun's face was wry, and his expression did not quite match his voice, "I'm going to switch the power over in four minutes, when I do, I want you to jettison every last life pod we have."

* * *

"_**ESCAPED**_!"

Rau watched impassively as the Tad Elsman, the head of security, vented his anger on the leader of the five soldiers they had found imprisoned within the closed off hallway. Incidentally, the man was also the head of the whole security roster, underneath Elsman, of course, but an important individual nonetheless. His rebuke was given in such a robust fashion it had Yzak and Dearka both looking equally ill at ease, though neither compared to the the soldier, who was looking almost uncomfortable enough to fidget like a reprimanded schoolboy, though he had not quite gone that far yet, even if his voice sounded chastised.

"I'm afraid so, Councilor Elsman, it appears they had inside help and..."

"AREN'T YOU IN CHARGE OF SECURITY?" Tad's face was a nice shade of purple at this point, and Rau saw Yzak cast Dearka a warning glare, making sure he did not laugh, though Dearka himself was looking unusually meek. He did not think the blond would dare utter so much as a sound right at this point. Most amusing, indeed.

"Well, y-yes, Councilor."

"THEN WHY DID YOU LET THEM GET IN?"

"Councilor Elsman, please calm down," Deciding this little show had gone on long enough Rau impassively broke into the argument, "It is quite clear Orb's little rescue party had inside aid. Have you not noticed that Councilor Amalfi is absent?"

Tad glared around the group of councilors, apparently only just noting the absence of Siegel's old supporter, "Damn it," He growled, slumping back into his seat, "I might have known."

It did not take long for one of the other members to agree with him, Yzak's mother giving a slow nod before speaking.

"His son defected some time ago,we might have expected this, but we did not. So what are we to do now? To admit to the public that Kira Yamato slipped through our fingers will do nothing for ZAFT's reputation, and it will only give the rebellions on Earth more excuse to fight back.""

Eliza Joule was perhaps the only other one unaffected by the her comrade's volatile temper. Then again, she had served alongside the Chairman, whose temper was legendary, though where the man had gone off to right now even Rau did not know, and that thought was mildly disturbing. Ever since he returned to the PLANTs victorious, no, it was after that, after young Joule demanded a meeting following his appointment as Commander, just below Rau's new position of Commander in Chief, the Chairman had been acting unpredictably. He would have killed to know what words had been spoken during that meeting, but whatever had been said he had not been able to find sight or sound of the Chairman since, well, except for a few glimpses during meetings of the Supreme Council. Whatever Yzak had done had been to Rau's detriment, that was for sure, and he was already beginning to consider the possibility Ezalia's child might need to be removed. It would be a waste, for sure, as Yzak had been so promising, but he could not risk it this far into his plans.

"We will just tell them he is dead, then," Tad growled, "Tell them he committed suicide before the trial could be completed."

"And if we are proven to be lying?" Rau asked softly, warningly. It was a possibility, and did not lead to any outcome he would call favorable.

"We will not be," Tad smirked, "Trust me. They will never make it past the blockade."

* * *

"So what do you think now?" Dearka asked quietly as they exited the council Chamber, only a few steps behind the last of the councilors, who had left at a pace much quicker than their usual sedate, stately walk.

Yzak shot him a glare, annoyed at his vagueness, "I don't know what you mean."

Dearka sighed, "Oh, come on, Yzak, it's blatantly obvious! World Domination, trying to condemn a civilian, then lying to the public? If you ask me the entire _council_ is off it's rocker, and the Chairman wasn't even _there_. It's not the first time, either."

"Kira Yamato can hardly be considered a civilian," Yzak snorted, though he was well aware his friend had a point. They were thoughts he had entertained quite frequently of late, much to his own disgust. "He fought for Orb and wore the Orb uniform."

"But he never officially signed up for it," Dearka pointed out, "Anyway, that's not the point. You could say the Chairman's actions are for the good of the people, and I would accept that, although unorthodox, they do work. What's really bugging me is the state of things on Earth."

"What about them?"

"And they say _I'm_ the thick one?" Dearka slapped his forehead in frustration, "The Earth is dying, Yzak, the people are _starving_ to death. What kind of a world leader lets that happen? I do understand how things started, and why the Chairman did what he did, but sometimes you can take things too far. You've seen for yourself exactly how bad things are on Earth, it doesn't matter what nationality you are, ZAFT don't care, they're just ignoring it completely. Even the soldiers' families living on Earth are being ignored, Luna hasn't heard anything since the takeover two months ago. You can't tell me nothing is wrong. People are starting to ask questions, Yzak, and if the council isn't careful, they are going to have a revolution on their hands, especially now the Chairman is hardly to be seen. Rau is handling _everything. _Good grief, what did you do to the man why I wasn't looking?"

"I merely gave Chairman Zala a few things to consider, as you know full well," And Yzak was proud of what he had done, not simply because when he had left that office he had left a speechless, startled individual, but because _he _had been the one to figure out what was necessary. The revelation that had come to mind on the journey back to the PLANTs, the _realization _of what it was exactly Rau had _done _had been shocking, but he had known he couldn't rebuke it openly. The man was far too damn clever, and powerful, so he had gone for the underhanded blow, using the sharpest weapon he could think of to severe the hold he was _sure _the Commander in Chief held over the PLANTs leadership. Unfortunately, the Chairman's reaction to _that _had not been what he might have wished, which left the Earth, and the PLANTs as well, in limbo. Yzak paused midstride and sighed deeply, before replying to the other half of Dearka's question,"All right, I admit it, I'm worried too. But what exactly are we supposed to do? Nichol and Lacus both defected when things got rough, look where that got them!"

"I don't know," Dearka shrugged, a familiar grin beginning to spread over his tanned features, "You're supposed to be the one with the brains, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, and since when has logic helped in this case?" Yzak retorted, folding his arms across his chest, and meeting the blond's gaze with a challenging stare.

"True," Dearka rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Heck, I don't know, Yzak. I just get the feeling we have to do _something_."

"Well, you'll have to brainstorm later, here comes the rest of the team." Yzak strode forward again to meet the other four members of his party, though he did not fail to notice the fact Luna was distancing herself from Shin he had no time to query it as Heine spoke.

"What's all this about suicide?" He asked, holding out a portable tele, "Didn't the prisoner escape?"

"The Council is keeping it on the down low so the rebellions on Earth don't get cocky," Dearka explained, "We're all sworn to secrecy. They don't reckon they'll make it past the blockade anyway."

"I see." Heine nodded, then turned to Yzak, "What are our orders, sir?"

"Well, now that that freaking ridiculous excuse for a trial is over, we are being redeployed to Earth," Yzak replied crisply, not caring if he sounded both frustrated and angry, "I presume our task will be to join those troops stationed at Carpentaria and help them root out the Earth Alliance leaders who are still in hiding and dispose of them, after that the rebellions should die down."

"And if they don't?" Luna asked, meeting the commander's eyes boldly, which was a new for her.

"Then I guess destroying the rebellions will be our next task," Yzak responded tersely, "The Joule Team is to report to their quarters now and make preparations for leaving, and then await further orders from me, so get moving!"

* * *

If the door to his office had been a slamming one, it would undoubtedly have been rattling in it's frame right now, but as it was all the Chairman could do to vent his frustration was to storm across and almost lunge into his seat, slamming the button that activated his console down with a lot more force than was necessary. The _nerve_ of Orb, sneaking in and stealing back that Yamato kid just when he had wanted to speak with the enemy pilot in the hopes of proving Yzak's words false. And Amalfi! If he ever got his hands on that man, he would personally wring his neck! Siegel Clyne's followers had been nothing but trouble, and he sincerely hoped every last one of them was blown away in space. On top of that, the entire Council had seen fit to _not_ inform him of all this until later, when it had been too late! There were so many things he could be absolutely furious about, young Joule among them, that he was easily distracted from realizing the real target of his fury was himself.

Finally turning his attention to the console before him he frowned at the message alert now on the screen, though more at the fact there was no visible sender than at the message itself. Running a hand raggedly through his hair he thoughtlessly clicked on the file, and abruptly stilled, thankful for the fact he had already been sitting down, for he was sure his legs would not support him at the present time.

For staring right out at him from the computer screen were the luminous, emerald eyes of his most definitely _alive_ son.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Decisions We Make**

Athrun carefully ran over the statistics following their atmospheric entry, checking and rechecking all the systems, before finally convincing himself they had not taken any irreversible damage. It had been a touch and go matter to re-erect the shields before they entered Earth's atmosphere, and even more than that before they had passed GENESIS. Launching all the escape pods had been a ploy to both distract the enemy and slow them down, especially seeing as he had spun the large cruiser whilst they were being released. He did not know what the orders of those stationed at the Cannon had been, but they had seemed unwilling to fire with the chance they might hit defenseless people, and that alone had been the key that brought them the time they needed. After doing a final check to make sure the ship would remain stable without any active input from himself he turned to see how the other passengers had faired, and abruptly found himself laughing.

Kira was apparently slowly convincing his fingers to let go of their vice-like grip on the back of Meyrin's seat, his breathing coming in short gasps, and his eyes still wide in disbelief. Councilor Amalfi's face was decidedly gray, and even those who had been seated looked shaken, Caggallie's face slowly turning a deep shade of red. Upon his somewhat undiplomatic snort of laughter Kira glared at him in an expression frighteningly similar to Caggallie's, before abruptly exclaiming.

"Next time you're going to put a full sized luxury cruiser into a spin, _tell_ me!"

"It worked, didn't it?" Athrun responded practically, giving his shoulders a light shrug, "What would you have rather I did? Let them shoot us down?"

"You could have...have..." Kira threw his arms up into the air in exasperation, clearly at a loss for words, and Nichol chose that moment to intervene, perhaps much for the better.

"It'll be a few hours before we land," he stated calmly, rising without the slightest sign of retaining the tremble that had been in his hands a moment before, "Why don't we see if we can find you a different uniform?"

Kira started and glanced down at the ZAFT prisoner of war uniform he was still wearing, before meeting Nichol's gaze with a grateful grin, "That _would_ be nice."

Nichol simply nodded, gesturing for Kira to follow him as he left the bridge, Meyrin leaping up to trail after them, the trio followed a short moment later by Yuri and Aisha, both of whom had already started discussions of what would happen once they reached the Clynes. Only once the door had closed behind them all did Caggallie speak, her voice low, and unusually quiet. _Not a good sign._

"You are..._insane_," she hissed vehemently, "The moment we step back on solid ground, I want you to get your head examined! Are you completely out of your mind? Do you have any idea how _dangerous_ that was?"

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," exhaling deeply he slumped further down in his seat, resisting an urge to simply close his eyes and rub his temples. Adrenaline was fine, but only in so far as it lasted, and right now he was beginning to feel the after effects of the last thirty hours or so. "I wasn't sure it would work either, but I didn't see much of an option."

"I guess there wasn't much of one," Caggallie admitted, but only after taking a _very_ deep breath, "On the other hand, though, that was bloody brilliant!"

"Really?" he replied mildly, turning to watch her out of the corner of his eye, well aware of the sincerity with which she had stated that fact, "I'm not sure if Kira or Councilor Amalfi shared your opinion of that."

"They're alive," Caggallie stated bluntly, "Isn't that enough?"

"It's more than a lot of people can say right now." Athrun admitted, turning back to the console with a sigh, blindly studying the readings there, without seeing a single number or word. It was all over now, Kira was rescued, they had escaped the PLANTs, and very soon they would be rendezvousing with the rest of their party, preparing for the next part of the plan. Very soon, but not soon enough, because now that they had three or so hours of idle time. Athrun knew he would have no choice but to confront a number of problems that had remained unresolved due to Kira's absence during that time, with no excuse to delay them.

Like that small matter of him trying to kill his best friend, and very nearly succeeding.

How was he supposed to face Kira after _that_? Lacus had been one thing, he had wronged her badly, but he hadn't actually tried to harm her, not really, her or Nichol, but Kira...He had injured Kira, had come within inches of destroying him completely, and he was not foolish enough to think that saving his life after that counted as payment for that debt. And then there was Lacus. The singer had been worried sick about Kira ever since he was taken, though she had maintained a brave face, it was easy to see for one who knew her well enough. She had gone so far as to admit she had feelings for Kira, and that alone was an indication of how much she had worried for the brunette's welfare. With Kira back safely, that would be one distraction removed from her mind and allowing her to focus more properly on her task, but she would need Kira's support in the time to come, and in order for Kira to give that, he had to be certain of his role in Lacus' life, which meant Athrun had to inform him of exactly what that role was.

Not a great deal to look forward to there.

"Are you going all broody on me again?" Caggallie's tone was lightly threatening, and he gave a start, not having realized he had closed her eyes, his inattentiveness having allowed her to get close without him even noticing.

"Will you hit me if I say yes?" She hadn't yet, despite various occasions on which the threat had been given, though, the moment he saw the expression in her eyes he knew she had not been teasing, her face entirely too sober.

"You two need to talk this out," she stated bluntly, not wasting any words, "It isn't going to resolve itself on it's own."

"I know." He turned away from that intense stare, focussing his gaze downwards instead, where he wouldn't have to see the look on her face.

"There were mistakes made on both sides, you know," she reminded him calmly, taking a different tactic to that he had assumed she would, "Kira's not wholly excusable either. We _all_ made mistakes."

"I know."

She had told him that before, even gone so far as listing those mistakes, but what she seemed oblivious to was that, even when listed, the largest quota still fell in his square. Kira hadn't tried to kill him, after all, he had only been trying to protect his country, a fact that had inevitably led to them fighting. Caggallie, for her part, had listed her manipulation of Kira as a fault, something that had led to him being on the battlefield in the first place, but she had only wanted to protect as well, to protect and avenge, what excuse did he have? He had been willfully and purposefully blind to the point where he had harmed people he cared about through no other fault other than his own, something his sacrifice in Heliopolis hardly changed. He had only made the decision when it was too late, whereas, had he sided with Lacus earlier, he might have been fighting alongside Kira in that battle, and the one that followed. He may even have been able to help prevent the fall of Orb.

In reality, there was no way of telling exactly how much his mistakes had cost all of them, and no way of knowing if he could ever make up for them, but that didn't mean he couldn't try. Lacus would need Kira when they returned to Earth, she had been Athrun's protector for a long time, the one, soothing presence in his life, and now it was her turn.

"Take over for me, Caggallie."

His decision made he vacated the pilot's seat, ignoring the pleased grin on the blond woman's face at being offered sole control of the vessel as he left the bridge, forcing his strides not to break, or his movements to seem hesitant. It did not matter if Kira could not forgive him, if any of them could ever accept an apology for what he had done, none of it mattered, for even unforgiven he could still make sure his friends were happy.

* * *

Nichol had taken Kira to one of the vacant rooms aboard the vessel, where several spare ZAFT uniforms had been stowed away, foresight Kira found admirable, before leaving with Meyrin, his quiet tone last heard voicing explanations for the shy young girl. It did not take Kira long to get changed once he was left alone, although it felt slightly strange wearing the uniform of the enemy, and he emerged from the bathroom back into the sleeping area within a matter of minutes. On the other hand, though brief, it had been long enough that he was no longer alone. Athrun was seated on the bed, leaning back into the corner, with one leg drawn up to his chest and the other stretched out across the mattress. Glancing up when Kira reentered the room he looked him over critically, then shrugged.

"Man, it's weird seeing you in that."

"I'll say," Kira smiled weakly, well aware of the tension surrounding the silence between both of them as Athrun dropped his gaze down again, before impulsively making a decision he added, "I'm sorry."

Athrun looked up at at him in confusion, "For what?"

"That," Kira pointed at the scar on his friend's face, still unsettled by how much damage it _could_ have caused, "That's my fault."

Athrun reached up with his hand and traced the mark with his finger, almost as though he had forgotten it was there, before dropping his hand back to his lap and giving a casual shrug of his shoulders, his next words so entirely unexpected Kira found himself thoroughly taken aback.

"Not really, if I hadn't been such an idiot we would have been fighting on the same side in the first place."

"It wasn't..." Kira began to protest, incredulous that Athrun should actually claim responsibility for the entire affair, for his injuries, when it had been saving Kira which caused them, though he was cut off before he could ever complete his argument.

"Don't worry about it, Kira," Athrun waved a hand dismissively, pausing a moment, then continuing quietly, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you...about Lacus."

"La..." Kira froze, stunned, and unsure how to proceed at all, "What about Lacus?"

"She loves you, Kira, you know that, right?"That bluntly uttered statement left Kira entirely speechless, he had no idea what to say, so only stammered incoherently. Athrun didn't seem to notice, however, for he continued to speak, "She wanted badly to come on this mission with us, but eventually we managed to convince her that her skills were better used elsewhere," He paused, a slight smile flitting across his lips, "She's going to be ecstatic when you get back."

"Athrun," Kira frowned, disturbed by the fact his friend would not meet his gaze, "I don't think..."

"I just need to know," The dark haired Coordinator got to his feet abruptly, cutting Kira off once again, though this time he had no qualms about meeting his friend's gaze, emerald eyes hard and determined, "If her sentiments are returned?"

Kira remained silent, unsure of what to say, completely thrown off by the abruptness of all this. Hell, what the heck was he _supposed_ to say?

"Just be honest, Kira."

"I," Kira paused, his face pulled into a deep scowl, before with a sigh he merely responded with what he believed to be the truth, "I think...they are returned."

"Good," Athrun said no more, moving towards the door, though as it slid open he paused, turning back to face Kira, "I broke off our engagement as soon as I woke up, Kira, you don't have to worry. Just make sure you take good care of her."

The door slid shut behind him, and Kira was left staring blankly at it's smooth surface, wondering why his best friend seemed like a total stranger to him.

* * *

"'Go back to your quarters'...and do _what_? Why doesn't he just say 'heel' instead, it's obviously what he wants!"

Shin was in the midst of a full blown tirade concerning the treatment given them by their superior officer, not that it was anything new, bur Rey could not help but note the way his words were earning him a rapidly darkening scowl from Luna. The same Luna who was normally the one to rationalize with him and explain the reasons for each command given.

"Oh, do calm down," it appeared even Heine's inexhaustible supply of patience had been worn out by Shin's continuous complaints, and dropping the data pad he had been studying to the table with a clatter the senior pilot turned his green eyes on Shin with an exasperated sigh, "The Commander is only following whatever orders _he_ has been given, it's not like we're the only ones."

"Well, yeah," Shin hurried over _that_ particular point, "But he could be a lot nicer about it!"

"Unfortunately, that's just the way our Commander is," Heine sounded amused now, sinking back into the cushions of the couch, "His other teammates put up with it for over a year, I'm sure you can manage."

"It's not fair," finally deigning to take a seat Shin flopped down somewhat gracelessly opposite Heine, "We're left sitting on our laurels up here in the PLANTs for weeks for no apparent reason, and then suddenly we're sent to our quarters to prepare for a another mission, only to be left waiting again! We can't even work on our machines, either!"

"That is a little frustrating, I'll grant you, but things have been so unsettled it's not any wonder everything seems a little...disorganized," Heine tried to explain, though Shin's pouting had not lessened in the slightest, "You aren't really that eager to go into battle_,_ _are_ you?"

"Well, no, I don't exactly _like_ battle," the youngest pilot had calmed slightly, Heine's intention in the first place, thus signaling a successful effort, "But it feels like we're being tossed around like playthings of the Council. There wasn't even an explanation for how long we were kept waiting."

"Which is an explanation in itself," Rey did not know how he managed to draw all eyes whenever he spoke, but today was no exception, and even Shin remained quiet as he continued, "If the Council doesn't take the time to explain things to us, would we be wrong to assume they don't _have_ an explanation? Just because they are the highest power doesn't mean they are aware of everything that is happening, and it seems fairly obvious that the chain of command has deteriorated badly, communication with it."

"Unfortunately," Heine sighed, flinging one arm along the back of the couch as he frowned at the smooth surface of the table, "I think you might be right. The Council is going to have to pull it's socks up pretty soon, or else they're going to find their precious authority crumbling about their ears. I'm surprised something hasn't been done about it already, but the higher ups seem so divided they can't decide on _anything_."

"The Chairman hasn't been around either," Luna muttered speculatively, "What do you think is going to happen to us?"

"I don't know," Heine admitted, "But I'm praying it's not the worse case scenario. Right now, it's about the only thing we can do when the Council seems to be willfully blind."

"Or _blindfolded_," Rey corrected calmly, meeting Heine's suddenly sharp gaze squarely. He was sure the older pilot would be able to interpret what he was saying without unnecessary elaboration, "The dissent within the Council seems a little bit _too_ obvious to me. It wouldn't surprise me if someone wasn't playing them off each other to further their own gains."

"I hope not," Heine shook his head slowly, eyes dark with some unreadable emotion, "Because if that's true, things could be even worse than they seem."

"Well," Shin interjected when the silence began to drag, punctuating his words with a snort, "To be frank, I don't think they _can_ get any worse!"

* * *

"I want explanations, Le Creuset, and I want them now!" Of all the times he had confronted the Chairman, this was perhaps the first time when he had ever felt uncomfortable. Normally, _he_ was the one holding all the strings, but one of those strings had snapped abruptly, and now all that was left was a swinging loose end he couldn't quite grasp. This was an unexpected wild-card, and he was not at all prepared to face it, so the best he could do was remain stoically silent, hoping Zala would work it out of his system. It was also the first time the Chairman had been the one to instigate their private meetings, and Rau was aware that was yet another sign of how much control he had lost "How can...can _this_," he gestured lividly at the screen, though Rau could not see it, he knew well enough what was displayed there, "Be possible! You had him announced MIA, you told _me_ he was dead!"

"With all due respect, sir," realizing that if he didn't interrupt soon this meeting was going to dissolve completely, at least, so far as he was concerned, Rau hurriedly interjected, "Captain Zala's mobile suit _was_ shot down in a battlefield _we_ had lost control of. It was not possible to search for remains, and given the amount of damage his teammates saw inflicted to the vessel it was reasonable to assume he was..."

"_Enough_," it was the first time the Chairman had cut him off, and he found himself unusually taken aback, "Excuses are _not _what I want to here. I want results, Le Creuset, I want him found, _now_. Someone must have seen him, spoken to him, he passed through a damn ZAFT controlled port for goodness sakes, in full ZAFT regalia!"

"Finding him may prove difficult," he would go along with this whim for now, until he knew the truth of this situation, and until he had found out _exactly_ who it was who had sent this information to the Chairman, "If he has not yet come forward, Mr. Chairman, it may be necessary to consider the possibility he may not _want_ to be found, and the unfortunate fact he may also now be a part of the Clyne Faction."

"I _said_ I didn't want to hear excuses!" He had certainly lost his control quickly, Rau mused irately, just like it had been with the man's damn son. They were both far too unpredictable, though he had been certain the Chairman was feeding from his hand. This mistake must be rectified, and rectified quickly, and if he couldn't have the Chairman announce the boy a traitor, he would have to have him taken care of, for of one thing he was undoubtedly certain. Athrun was a part of the team that had rescued Kira Yamato, which made him a part of Orb and the Clyne Faction, and a significant danger to Rau's own carefully laid plans. "_Find_ him, and be quick about it!"

In the face of an order like that, he had no choice but to utter a calm 'Yes, sir' and make his departure with as much dignity as was possible. Given the volume of the Chairman's voice it was likely the two guards outside had heard at least half of that conversation, and it took every last ounce of his willpower not to utter sharp words to _them_ as he left.

Oh, yes, someone was going to pay for this, and out of all of the possible candidates, right now, Athrun Zala was certainly the most appealing.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Homecoming**

"Caggallie?" The former chief representative swung around in surprise at being addressed, though she smiled when she saw who it was. Kira had entered the observation deck silently, the reason she had not heard his approach, and he now walked forward until he stood at the window beside her, gazing out over the destruction below. For a moment he waited, expecting her to break the silence, but when she didn't he was prompted to do so himself, asking tentatively, well aware of the dark expression on her face. "You okay?"

"I didn't realize it was this bad," Caggallie sighed heavily, her expression somber, not even a trace of the smile she had given him now left visible on her face, "Down on the ground you can only see so much, but up here?"

Kira looked at the ground passing below them, and found he could not disagree with her. The ship they were in had been modified at the last minute so it could use the same mirage as Nichol's Blitz had originally possessed. Unfortunately, it only worked for a short time, and for this reason they had had to save it until they reached Earth to use it to get past the larger blockades set up there. They were only traveling at a low speed, to avoid crashing into anything, and because of this a clear view was given of the landscape below. It was not a pleasant sight to observe, in fact it looked more like one giant battlefield rather than anything else, spires of smoke rising in ominous clouds to obscure many parts of the country. Whatever world Patrick Zala had hoped to achieve, this was certainly not a peaceful one.

"How many escaped?" He ventured at last, trying to turn his sister's mind away from the carnage, though that was difficult, when carnage was the only thing one could see for miles.

"Almost everybody," Caggallie cheered slightly, though it did not last long, "But...we lost all the new pilots. Mu, Nichol, Andrew, Martin, and myself all got away, but our suits were badly damaged. The Archangel still isn't fully repaired and is more of a submarine than a ship at the moment. The Kusanagi is not too bad, but the Eternal was pretty shook up as well. To be honest with you, Kira, our resources are almost completely depleted. We only have six pilots, seven if you count yourself, and hardly any ships at all."

"What about Lacus' contacts on Earth?" Kira asked, astonished that with so few allies they could still have pulled off the rescue operation that saw him standing here now. It must have been difficult, he realized, very difficult.

"We haven't been able to get in touch with anyone, even Marchio has been having trouble," Caggallie shrugged, "That's why it took so long to rescue you, we were trying to get together a team. In the end, we didn't need one anyway."

Kira nodded slightly, "How did you get to the PLANTs?"

"We stowed away," Caggallie smiled again, "It wasn't terribly hard. We actually took a panel off one of the halls in the ship and made ourselves a space inside. That was the easy part. Getting into the detention building was the hardest."

"It was Athrun's plan, right?"

The red head nodded, "That's right. Pretty bright considering he's only been up and about for two months. He woke up shortly after you were taken, but, considering his injuries, it was a while after that before he was on his feet again. I must admit I'm impressed with Coordinator healing, at the very least."

"He didn't tell me it was his plan," Kira sighed slightly, recalling that, in actual fact, Athrun had told him just about nothing. The conversation had been short, curt, and pretty one sided, "Though I had guessed."

"Really?" Caggallie turned to face him, leaning her back against the glass of the observatory. Kira simply shook his head, and Caggallie sighed, "All right then, what did you guys talk about instead?"

Kira flushed slightly, managing, just, not to stammer as he responded, "Lacus."

"You're kidding," Caggallie was clearly unable to resist teasing him, "We are in the middle of a world catastrophe and you guys talked about your girlfriend."

Kira glared at her, unable to come up with an apt response, though Caggallie only laughed at his gaping, before continuing, "Actually, it's kind of what I expected."

Kira frowned, bewildered by this swift turn about, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Caggallie shuffled slightly, looking decidedly anxious, "I wasn't going to tell you yet, but Orb is currently in the process of arranging an alliance with the Earth Forces."

Kira stared at her, not quite comprehending what that could mean, "F-for real?"

Caggallie merely nodded, her face suddenly grave, "Everybody's on edge at the moment, especially Lacus, who is in charge of most of the negotiations and was worried about you too. I think Athrun is just looking out for the pair of you by smoothing everything out now. After all, the less internal troubles we have the better."

"I can see what you mean,"Kira nodded slowly, realizing that what Caggallie had said made sense, "That does seem like what he was trying to do, but.." He hesitated a moment, a frown forming on his face.

"Are you okay?" Caggallie stared at her brother questioningly, but he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he barely heeded her, and before she could prod him further the door to the observation deck opened once again and Meyrin stepped out to join them.

"Hi," She glanced from one to another shyly, uttering in a voice just a little above a whisper, "Athrun wanted me to tell you we'll be landing shortly. Lieutenant La Flaga is waiting for us."

"Thanks, Mey," Caggallie nodded, then turned and gave Kira a punch on the shoulder, making him jump, "Wake up, dreamer. It's time to disembark."

Kira shook himself and forced a smile in response to her teasing, trying to act natural, even if he was feeling anything but. Caggallie's words had made him realize things were far from what he had originally assumed, well, except for in one respect.

He really _didn't_ know Athrun anymore.

* * *

The welcoming committee for the victorious rescue team was actually made up out of four of Kira's old comrades, though none of them were entirely unexpected. Mu was there, predictably, as well as Murrue Ramius, Siegel Clyne, and of course, Lacus, her precious Haro grasped firmly between her fingers, something that gave Kira no small amount of relief. He hardly wanted to end up on the ground again on his first day back amongst friends. There were also two people present whom Kira did not recognize, but since Meyrin ran to them as soon as she had leapt off the boarding ramp he guessed them to be her parents.

"Hey, kiddo!" Mu was the first to greet him, his usual care free grin plastered on his face, although shadows showed under his eyes and there was an underlying sense of grimness about his manner that had certainly not been there before, "How were the PLANTs?"

"Okay, I guess." Kira smiled faintly, having expected such a jibe from his comrade, "Not much for entertainment, I'm afraid."

"Welcome back, Kira." Murrue nodded to him, she was also smiling, although it was rather strained, "It is good to see you are well."

Siegel only shook his hand silently, briefly, before turning to speak to Councilor Amalfi about the state of things on PLANTs. Kira now found himself standing before Lacus, all the others having subtly moved away, and in that single, significant moment, his tongue refused to move. For a moment the two just stared at each other, before Lacus' face broke into a smile and she stepped up to hug him tightly, setting his face tingling so that he was sure he resembled a tomato right now. _Again_.

"I'm glad you're okay, Kira," Her voice was slightly muffled, but when she pulled away she was smiling brightly, relieved tears not quite falling from her eyes, "We were all so worried."

"I missed you too," Kira found himself smiling again, for the first time in months, "And Haro!" This time he managed to catch the bouncing ball of mischief _before_ it hit him in the face, laughing as Haro rolled back and forth in his hand, chattering happily. It was only then he noticed Lacus had stopped smiling, her gaze directed to something over his shoulder. Turning to follow the point of her glance he found himself meeting Athrun's gaze head on. For a moment it was a matter of staring at each other over the space between them, before Athrun gave a twisted smile, turning away to speak with Nichol. Kira frowned a moment, though his attention was torn back to his companion as Lacus sighed softly, her voice lightly questioning, without the barest hint of a demand in her tone.

"Is everything...all right, Kira?"

He knew what she was asking, and yet he still hesitated before offering a response, because he did not really know, so how could he tell her?

"I can't say, yet," he offered at last, trying not to see the slight traces of disappointment in her eyes, "We didn't really get to talk."

"Didn't really get to, or he wouldn't _let_ you?" There was a knowing look on her face now, and Kira shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, uh..."

"You should know by now that he will always think the worst of himself, Kira," she sighed softly, "If you want this resolved, I fear you're going to have to put your foot down. I had to do the same," she smiled then, "It made a difference, believe me." She paused, taking Haro back into her hands, before changing the subject, "Did Caggallie tell you?"

"About the Earth Forces?" Kira frowned, somewhat irritated she was not offering him more to act on in regard to the other matter, but accepting it as inevitable, "Yeah, she did. How are things going?"

"Not too badly, the negotiations are almost complete," Lacus trailed off for a moment as they turned and followed the rest of their party, which had moved off on foot, then resumed her briefing, "Sarah Azrael volunteered to be a go between, surprisingly, and because of that things have been going relatively smoothly."

"Then what has you worried?" Kira asked, noticing that the path they were following was leading them deeper into the woods they had landed in. He supposed it was sensible to have not landed at their actual hide out, and from what he had heard on the journey here Aisha and the others would be removing the vessel later to hide it in a more secure location, not that that was anything he would ever have thought of. Having been trained in the military had it's perks, it would seem, especially in a time of crisis such as this.

"What has me worried is that the Earth Alliance commander wants to use his nukes against the PLANTs," Lacus sighed, looking decidedly upset, "He doesn't seem to realize Orb only wants to gain back it's territory, not take someone else's."

"Shouldn't the Earth Forces be concentrating on the same thing?" Kira wondered aloud, before adding rapidly when she glanced at him, "I mean, shouldn't they get back their own territory first?"

"I'm afraid not everybody thinks that way, Kira," Lacus sighed again, "Muruta Azrael believes that, if he takes out the PLANTS, the ZAFT forces will be cast into disarray. He is probably right, except that the death toll resulting from such actions would be catastrophic."

"I'm guessing he doesn't care much about that, seeing as they are Coordinators?"

"That's right," The auburn haired girl nodded, "But we have made sure that they take no such action without consulting us first. I don't want to destroy the PLANTs by giving them power, and that is inevitably what would happen if I hadn't been able to negotiate that point. It's funny, though, he protested it so loudly until this last meeting, it makes me suspicious, though I guess it can't be helped. We either trust his word or we don't."

"When is the alliance due to be finalized?" Kira asked curiously, aware of just how much out of the loop he was. It was amazing what Caggallie, Lacus, and the others had been able to achieve within a bare two months, purely amazing, and he found himself in awe of their capabilities. It seemed he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to catch up with their efforts, and his resolve was already forming to do just that.

"Tonight," Lacus glanced at him, her expression thoughtful, "The Earth Alliance have several stolen mobile suits which they will gift to our Coordinator pilots, since we can use them more effectively. In return Orb is expected to help them in attacking one of the smaller POW camps to free some of their own soldiers."

"Is that so," Kira frowned slightly, easily able to see the dangers of such an arrangement, "So we'll have a mission shortly?"

"Yes," Lacus' response was quiet and subdued. Kira was finding the lack of her usual, bubbly self rather disturbing, and gently he reached across to lay a hand on her shoulder, watching as her head shot up, bright blue eyes focussing on his for a moment, before she cast them downwards, her voice slightly shamed, "I'm sorry, Kira, I know we only just rescued you but...We'll need you to go out again. You, Andrew, Martin, Nichol, and Athrun. The rest of us are going to play ground support."

"It's fine, Lacus, really," Kira tried to reassure her as best he could, though it was clear she felt deeply about this. It did not surprise him really, that _any _of this upset her, for the current set of affairs on Earth went against everything Lacus had ever worked for and tried to achieve. To have seen her efforts crumbling down around her feet must have been heartbreaking for her, let alone having to form an alliance now with a man whose morals were questionable, purely and simply because she had no other choice. He could easily see now why Athrun had not wanted any obstacles to distract the young woman, she had more than enough to deal with already, and Kira was determined to help her with that. "Everything will be okay, you'll see. From what I heard up in PLANTS the discontent is growing there too, people _will_ begin to support the rebellion. And your speech...Geez, Lacus, you were _born_ to bring hope."

"Thank you, Kira, that means a lot to me," Lacus smiled faintly, then paused a moment to direct his gaze forwards. "Look."

The trail had come to an end and Kira could now see a small, slightly worn, two story building before them, looking rustic against the backdrop of the woods, whilst just out of the line of sight was the twinkle of the sunlight reflecting off the ocean, a setting so surreally beautiful for a moment he wondered if the sights of chaos and poverty on the way down had all been one big nightmare.

"This is the Hawk's hotel," Lacus explained smoothly, "They have been hiding us here. So far, it has proved unobtrusive enough to not draw the attention of ZAFT."

Kira nodded, understanding full well how appealing that last factor must have been for the Faction, before following the rest of the party down the wooded slope and through the back entrance of the aged hotel. It looked strangely empty with no cars parked outside, but inside the hotel was actually filled beyond capacity, thanks to the fact as many members of the Archangel, Kusanagi, and Eternal were living here as possible. Meyrin and her parents led their current group of fugitives through the back lobby into a private parlor, here Kira noted Sarah Azrael, seated between Martin and Andrew, and on the couch opposite them Kisaki, arms folded across his chest, and a grim frown on his face, not that Kira had ever seen much of any other expression there...ever.

"This is our council room," Mu explained, flopping down on one of the unoccupied seats and grinning at Amalfi and Kira, "Take a seat."

The group spread themselves out on the couches and chairs not already in use in a practiced gesture that led him to believe they had done this many times before, Meyrin taking a seat behind the large monitor that was set up against one of the walls, her hands flying quickly across the keypad.

"Any transmissions yet?" Caggallie asked her as she sat down between Kisaki and Kira, offering her twin a weak smile, before turning her gaze forward again.

"One,"" Meyrin nodded quickly, her voice more confident now she was doing something at which she was undoubtedly talented, "I'll just scramble it to make sure ZAFT can't listen in."

This activity took her only a moment, and after a swift spell of button pressing a young, blond man sitting in a relaxed posture appeared on the screen, shaded blue eyes staring out at them with altogether too much cheer. Kira hated him on first sight, if only for the fact he could smile so happily at a time like this, but decided it was best to hold his tongue no matter how he felt. A quick glance at Athrun showed his friend's face to be entirely expressionless, though Nichol, seated beside him, was frowning.

"Hello, again," Muruta Azrael grinned, before his eyes spotted the extra members of the party, and he proceeded, "Ah! So your little mission was a success?"

"Obviously," Caggallie rolled her eyes, and Kira was certain she shared his thoughts of wondering how such an idiot had ever ended up in command of the Earth Alliance, "Now, about the treaty..."

"All in good time," Muruta's grin widened until Kira was sure it would split his face, "I have read through all the terms and yes, I do agree to the thing about the nukes, seeing as you people won't relent unless I do."

"So? What is the problem. then?" Sarah asked, casting her brother a knowing glance, her voice as curt, crisp, and no nonsense as it had been during her time as Combat Lieutenant.

"The problem is this," Muruta waved his hands expressively, "I merely wish to confirm which POW camp we will be attacking."

"We already talked about this," Murrue pointed out, just the barest hint of impatience in her usually passive tone, "The one with the least security."

"But what kind of a victory will that be?" the blond frowned, "Think about it. If we strike one of their more advanced bases the blow will be that much harder."

"Yeah, to _us_," Kira could restrain himself no longer, unable to believe such a dense individual had been in _charge_ of a military. He may not know what he was doing half the time, but he was still well aware of the risks involved in cases such as these, and if this was the way Muruta had run his army, well, it was no surprise at all that he had lost. "We shouldn't take on more than we can chew!"

"And what would a child like you know of war?" Muruta glared at him briefly, before apparently forgetting he was insulted and giving his hand an airy wave, "I say we should hit them where it hurts, and believe me, a tiny little prison is hardly going to do that."

"Yes, but it is all we can handle at the moment," Mu entered the conversation, a patronizing note to his voice that Muruta either chose not, or was too dense, to notice, "Besides, if we attack one of the smaller ones we may be able to get a few more mobile suits. Once our arsenal has been replenished we can think about targeting bigger fish. You don't try and catch a whale with a stick and string."

"Interesting analogy," Muruta shrugged, before proving he had not absorbed a single word of what had been spoken, "I still think we could aim higher."

"In that case why not target a civilian camp?" Nichol spoke up suddenly, "It would be bigger, better guarded, and would have more rewards. Sure, we wouldn't get any soldiers, but we would almost definitely get more machines. ZAFT have been using their civilian captives as slave workers to build their machines, allowing more Coordinators to take to the battlefield. If we attack one of their factories we could gain some of the newest mobile suits off the production line."

"Oh, yes, and who would fly them?" The response was more than a little sarcastic, and Kira found himself wishing the man was here in person, so he could punch him right in the face. As it was, were he to do that now, it would be more than a little embarrassing.

"We have at least seven pilots," Andrew spoke up, his eyes glinting in excitement, "And I know you have a few as well. Once we have stolen some of their suits we can target a base to rescue some of the pilots. Nichol is right, attacking a civilian camp would have more effect because we would get more people out with a wider variety of skills. We would have people who could travel across country and get news to our allies without being suspected. It's perfect."

"Your definition of perfect is different from mine," Muruta snorted, clearly put out that they were deciding all this without his approval, "But I guess it is an acceptable medium." He paused a moment, before continuing, "Very well, Representative Attha, when shall we do this?"

"As soon as possible," Caggallie let out a sigh of relief, "We need somewhere to meet where ZAFT will not find us."

"I know just the place." Muruta crossed his arms smugly, obviously pleased that _he_ was now back in charge of the conversation.

"Well, go on then!" Mu rasped out in exasperation, his face so stiff Kira had to wonder if he was grinding his teeth.

Muruta only grinned wider, and when he spoke his voice was more than a little triumphant, "The remains of the Seventh Colony."

There was a moment of absolute silence, before almost everyone gathered in the hotel parlor exploded at once, "WHAT?"


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Qualms and Disasters**

"You're giving me a what?" Yzak blinked somewhat blankly at his commander, a man who _would_ have been his equal now, had it not been for the fact Rau had also been promoted to overall commander of the forces and to the Special Forces to boot, before turning to glance at the woman standing a few steps to his right, and back again.

"Shall I repeat myself?" Rau replied casually, "Due to the impressive efforts of this team during the battle in Orb ZAFT won easily, and therefore it has been decided that better equipment is due to your team. The mobile suits you have are already state of the art, so it seems natural to also gift you an improved vessel, a proper battle cruiser, with a Captain of it's own separate from the mobile suit pilots. Captain Gladys," he motioned at the dark haired woman, who up until now had remained silent, "Is one of our best, and her vessel is currently undergoing the necessary upgrades to make it suitable for battle in a gravity situation."

"I did understand that part, sir," Yzak kept the sarcasm out of his voice with an effort, reminding himself that this man _was_ his commander and _did_ demand some form of respect, "I was merely surprised that the Chairman should see it as necessary. By all accounts the Earth is a secure asset, why all this reformation within the forces?"

He could feel the woman's gaze on him now, a curious expression in her hazel eyes, but she still did not speak, allowing Rau to be the only other conversant. In actual fact, Yzak doubted the Chairman had seen _anything_ as necessary. It was clear to any observer who cared to see who was _really_ in charge of the PLANTs now, and Yzak did not doubt that if _Rau_ saw it as necessary and the Chairman did _not_ Patrick just might meet an unfortunate demise similar to his son's. He firmly believed the man to be capable of it, which was why he was treading such a thin line himself. He could do very little without being exposed, but he could do even _less_ if he packed a sad and rebelled outright. Figures, he had never liked politics, and yet, he was now up to his neck in it, Dearka would be having hysterics.

"As with all other victories," the masked man responded calmly, "There are always variables, which can affect the measure of success achieved. The variables can remain latent for a time before making their move, but they still pose a danger, no matter how innocuous they might seem."

"You are speaking here of the nation of Orb and the Clyne Faction, I presume," Yzak remarked somewhat dryly, "Who waltzed into a high security facility here in the PLANTs and..."

"Yes," the fact Rau cut him off suggested that perhaps Captain Gladys had not been informed of _that_ particular debacle, "Exactly. The Chairman" _Translation, you._ "Is concerned there may be a similar situation developing on Earth, and is therefore putting precautions in place."

"Precautions as in just about every elite force he has in reserve?" Yzak could not keep the incredulity out of his voice, and with good reason. They had been left kicking their heels in the PLANTs for almost eight weeks, and now they were suddenly being thrust back into the battlefield, with an upgraded force nonetheless. Something was up, and, if he could possibly help it, he wasn't going to leave this office without knowing exactly what that was. "From what I hear the force that infiltrated the PLANTs," he ignored the sharp look sent his way, which could hardly be intimidating when it was concealed beneath that damn mask, "Was tiny. It hardly seems to merit such a massive deployment of troops to Earth. And what about GENESIS? Is it to be left unguarded?"

"GENESIS, or the matter of ZAFT's deployment of troops, is hardly your concern, Commander Joule, no matter how high up the ranks you happen to be," Rau's voice had lost it's calmness a little, with a just barely recognizable hard edge that told Yzak he had perhaps overstepped safe bounds by continuing to mention the escape of Kira Yamato. Good, he had been somewhat infuriated that the pilot _he_ captured had been let go so easily as well, so let Rau be riled, the man was keeping too many secrets for Yzak's liking anyway, "You have received your orders, now, I expect them to be followed, as does the Chairman."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," there was no attempt to conceal the sarcasm this time, but Rau chose to notice the crisp salute that accompanied it, and not the words themselves, though Yzak did consider it wise to add a quick "Excuse me, sir." before he stalked from the room.

* * *

Rau waited until the woman captain had also saluted and made her departure before bringing his gloved fist slamming down on the console with enough force to create a bang that echoed around the empty room, before proceeding to sweep the contents of his desk to the floor with an accompanying crash. This _could not_ be happening, it wasn't possible for so many things to fall apart so quickly, not after he had worked so hard to make certain of his tools. The Chairman had been blind to his control until young Joule had confronted him, and Yzak had only made _his_ move following the battle for Orb. In actual fact, he could lay the blame for most of his failures at the feet of that nation. The nation, it's Representative, and Athrun Zala. Each one them had been a separate wrench in his plans, and each of them had been unexpected.

Straightening he ran a hand swiftly through his hair, forcing himself back to calm. He could fix this, but he needed to remain docile, to employ the patience he had worked to achieve for over twelve years now. Perhaps this situation would actually work in his favor, for, as Patrick Zala dwelt on the possibility his brat had survived, the PLANTs went untended, contributing to the overall chaos he had strived so hard to create. The Earth was little better off, prime harvest ground, then, it just meant accelerating his plans a little faster had been his intent It should not be too difficult, all he needed to do was send a message through to the Carpentaria base, changing Joule's mission, and contact his other aides as well.

The former was taken care of quickly enough, a written message typed out on the much abused keypad of his console and sent with his own personal signature. The other, however, was not quite so simply taken care of, as it required the use of video message. He would have avoided it if he could, for speaking with this man always left a foul taste in his mouth, but he was comforted by the knowledge he would not have to worry about communicating further with the worm of a man for very long, not when his schemes were finally ending, along with this whole, blasted world.

"Lord Djibril," he greeted the image on his screen with the utmost serenity, showing not even the slightest portion of the distaste he carried for this individual. Without waiting for a response he proceeded calmly, uttering the three words that would seal the fate of this world, once and for all, "It is time."

* * *

Talia allowed the stiff silence to last until they had both reached the end of the hallway outside Rau's quarters, speaking only once they had rounded the corner, though the dark expression on the other white clothed officer's face was forbidding enough a less brave person might not have bothered.

"Is there something I should know about?" she prodded, receiving only a quick glance until she added, "The Clyne Faction made a move in the PLANTs? When was this?" She wasn't sure whether she should expect a response, one that wasn't evasive, at least, when Rau had been so clearly displeased it had even been _mentioned_ in her presence, but she was of the impression Yzak Joule had very little respect for authority, even if it was only a recent turn of events, and his dislike for the man they had just been in the same room with would have been clear for a child to see.

"A couple of days ago," the young man's response was terse, and surprisingly candid, "And it wasn't just the Clyne Faction. These people made it all the way from Orb to the PLANTs without alerting security, and there still hasn't been a full explanation as to how _that_ happened. So far as _I_ can figure out members of the Clyne Faction still within the military were stationed at most of the guard points, and once they reached what they wanted they just marched straight in and out. As for how they got past security in the hangar, well, an explanation for that is apparently pending, not that I'm holding my breath or anything."

Once she was certain the tirade was done Talia ventured to make a response, not failing to notice the fact he had chosen not to mention that the Council had very discreetly chosen to announce none of this, or to recall the hype of a 'couple of days ago' when a prisoner of war had supposedly committed suicide before his trial could be completed. "What could Orb possibly want in the PLANTs, unless they were trying to assassinate the Chairman?"

"Oh, I highly doubt Attha would try and assassinate anybody, not with Lacus Clyne as an ally, in any case," Yzak gave an incredulous snort, "But, I should consider her prize pilot a good enough incentive."

"So that broadcast about..."

"Yep, fake. Surprised?"

For a moment she was too taken aback by the look in those blazing blue eyes to respond, and it was only once he had turned away that she found her tongue again, tactfully changing the subject, this one already getting too dangerous for her liking, "Modifications on the Silver Wind should be complete within a few hours. I take it we are leaving as soon as the mobile suits are on board?"

"Of course, back to Earth, what a thrill!" The sarcasm of his response was not lost on her, but she chose to remain silent, "We can leave as soon as I get this poor excuse for a team together, not that I know what the hell we are supposed to do when we get there."

"And _where_ exactly _are_ we going?" she had not arrived until after that part of the briefing, and she had left shortly after Yzak, with no more information offered.

"We are going to Carpentaria," The Commander responded, "Though what the bloody hell we're supposed to do when we get there I don't know."

"You weren't told?" Talia was seriously beginning to consider both the Chairman and the over Commander were suffering from paranoid conspiracy theories, what with all this secrecy _within_ the forces. Whatever the case, it was obvious the fact so much was being held back did more than a little to annoy the hotheaded Commander she was now to serve beside, and the glare he shot her in response to that question was an answer almost in itself.

"We will 'receive the information when it is needed'," he quoted tersely, "Why so surprised? These days you're lucky if you even know what machine you're piloting let alone what the hell you're supposed to do with it. Bloody council's going to hell, and it's taking the flaming PLANTs with it. Wouldn't surprise me if we ended up with a full blown revolution on our hands at this point. Stupid bloody politicians."

With that uncouth parting gesture the Commander quickened his pace and turned down one of the many intersections, heading to what she presumed was his team's quarters. Her route lay in the opposite direction, so she was unable to pursue the volatile conversation any further, not that she was sure she wanted to. Of all the rookies she had ever worked with, she could safely say she had never met someone _quite_ like Commander Yzak Joule of the Special Forces, and, perhaps if she was lucky, she never would again. The young man had a point, certainly, she could not deny that, but she did wish he was a little bit more subtle about stating his opinion. If things were truly as turbulent as he believed, one would think he would act a little more cautious.

"Ah, Captain Gladys," She jumped slightly at Heine's address, having not heard the older pilot approach, "I see you have met our Commander. A rather unique individual, wouldn't you say?"

"Perhaps not the word I would have chosen," she could not resist the amused smile that tugged at her lips, "Not that I can blame him really." she amended her assessment, "Since I've been back in the PLANTs I can't help but wonder where the leadership is going, and I can see what you meant the other day. Things are certainly unsettled."

"The Chairman is walking a knife's edge," Heine agreed calmly, "Right now, it could go either way."

"Well," Talia took a deep breath, inwardly shaking herself free of her qualms. Now was not the time to start questioning the upper authorities, not that they would agree there was ever time when that should happen, "I guess it can't be helped. We can only go where we are told to."

"Yes," he agreed with a slight nod, "And that there sums it up, doesn't it?"

* * *

The PLANTs terminal was unusually deserted for such a normally busy period, but that suited his purposes just fine, as it made the chances of being recognized all the more slim. He had carefully chosen a port he was sure was distant enough from the Supreme Council Chambers that he would not be a well known face to them in person, and it was well known that television made one appear vastly different to real life. A widely acknowledged fact, at least, and one he could only hope was true.

It had been a long time since he had been out of uniform, and he hated to admit that wearing these civilian clothes made him feel peculiar, even if he knew the rich, purple shades of his more official dress were safely stashed away in the small suitcase held in his hand. It had been the first time in months he had returned to his residential address, rather than the apartments provided with his post, and it had once again been a reminder of a presence he had barely acknowledged when it was with him, and now so blatantly missed when it was gone.

He had banned anyone from going near the country house, but the mansion situated in the city had still been the family home, and one rarely utilized, with both of those who might still have lived in it often putting up elsewhere. He in his official apartments, and Athrun with whatever quarters the military provided. From time to time the younger remaining member of the Zala family would stay in the large house when he was on leave, Patrick had known enough of his son to be aware of _that_ habit, at least, but the imprint he had left on the place was so unnoticeable it was hard to believe he had ever been there, even the boy's room had been mostly devoid of personal belongings, the photographs that had once adorned it's walls taken down and placed who knows where, and the small mechanical creations, which had often been an everyday adventure, stowed away in storage.

There had been very little of his son's presence to be found in that room, no little traces of his persona, and it served as a dark reminder that most of those small traits that had been so clear to see when the boy was a child had been swallowed up and destroyed when he chose the life of a soldier. Athrun, the true Athrun Patrick was not really sure he had ever known, had been smothered and covered by what he was expected to be, role playing to such an extreme it was no wonder the boy had lost his way. After all, Athrun never did things lightly, and whatever he did he always did thoroughly, his father just hadn't ever expected him to apply those same life principles to becoming the perfect tool for this war.

He was not questioned as he stepped onto the boarding ramp of the shuttle, his security pass, minus his name, thankfully, enough to get him through without trouble, which was probably just as well, for he doubted he would have noted anything _had_ he been asked it at the moment. The shuttle was nearly empty, and he chose a seat near the rear, setting his suitcase on his lap, before his hand unconsciously sought the framed photograph he had stuffed in his pocket before leaving his office, drawing it out and laying it atop his luggage.

It had been one of only a very few pictures he possessed of his wife, a woman who seemed to have avoided the camera with regularity, mostly because _she_ had always been the one behind it, and about the only one he could think of that had them displayed as a family. This was one she had had taken only a few days before she left the city to visit their country home, a present for Athrun _he_ was supposed to deliver the night before the boy's birthday, the same night he had had to cancel his visit, and the same night Lenore drew her last breath.

The photographer had captured the boy and his mother together, unbeknownst to the former, though the latter was exchanging a conspirital smile with whomever she had coerced into helping her with her plot. But, though it was his mother kneeling beside him, one hand on the child's shoulder as she watched him release the bird they had both nursed back to health following a rather chaotic encounter with Lacus Clyne's pink toy, it was towards his father, the tall shadow a few steps back, that the boy's face was turned, the excited smile just short of outright laughter on his face focussed eagerly on what would shortly thereafter become all he had left in the world, though it was doubtful he knew the return smile was more of an indulgent gesture than a shared enjoyment of the event.

It was a picture he had seen nearly every day, sitting on the desk of his office, but all his eyes had ever chosen to notice was his wife's visage, the emerald eyes he knew so well focussed solely on the camera, illuminating it with an expression he recalled so well. He had never taken note of the other half of that picture, the other piece of the family, that sole piece he had chosen to blank out. To forget. It had been easy to do that, really, far too easy, and he knew the reason why now, even if he had not even acknowledged it back then.

He had been so obsessed with what he had lost that he had failed to see what it was he was _losing, _and now he could only hope he had not come to that realization far too late.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Evidence of a Future**

"Man...I didn't know things were this bad." For once Dearka found himself lost for words, unable to do anything but stare at the scene unfolding before his eyes, his lips robbed of their usual quip, and his mind left groping for some way to lighten what it was his eyes were seeing. This was certainly not the victorious battlefield he had imagined, in fact, it was more like one, big graveyard. The Joule Team was assembled on the observation deck of the newly upgraded Silver Wind, gazing down on the carnage Caggallie had witnessed on her earlier descent, and experiencing horror similar to that of their predecessors.

"My family is down there," Luna's voice was barely above a whisper, and her eyes were wide in her face, wide,and shocked.

"I'm sure they're okay," Heine tried to reassure the distraught girl, laying a comforting hand on her should, "When we land I'll try and see if we can get a message through, okay?"

Luna nodded silently, clearly too numb to speak. A quick glance at the rest of the team showed Shin standing impassively, looking out over the whole scene without so much as a twitch of a muscle, despite the fact this had once been his home. Rey, as always, was completely emotionless, blue eyes shifting from one scene of destruction to another in a calmly analytical manner, though Dearka could have sworn there was a just barely perceptible air of tension around the youth. Most of them were too rapt up in the scenery to notice the look of fury upon their commander's face, and Yzak _was_ furious, Dearka did not think he had ever seen him in such a state of outrage. The Joule Team had not been on Earth since the first battles of the occupation almost two months ago, after Earth had been secured they had been sent to space and left with little to do but twiddle their thumbs, so, seeing the Earth in a state of such decay after such a short period of time was one hell of a shock.

"How could the Chairman let this happen?" The entire team turned their attention to the silver haired Coordinator the moment he spoke, easily able to hear the anger in his voice, "This is disgraceful!" Yzak continued to rant, "It is one thing to take over, it is another thing entirely to treat _living _human beings in this way!"

Dearka sighed, running a hand through his short blond locks, though he could find nothing to say except, "Makes you feel sorry for Naturals, don't it?"

"I don't see why," Shin answered slowly and deliberately, "They started this whole thing, they deserve to suffer." Catching a glare from Luna he immediately added, "But you are right about the Coordinators on Earth, they shouldn't be being abandoned."

"Well, according to the Natural's it was _we_ who started the war," Heine shrugged, "So go figure."

"That's ridiculous," Shin scowled, "Everyone knows the Natural's had the ZAFT Supreme Council assassinated, _including_ core members of the Peace Committee."

"According to the Naturals the PLANTs had _their_ leadership assassinated," Heine countered at once, "And from what I hear the Chief Representative of Orb was also killed by unnatural means. Makes you wonder if someone planned this whole thing."

"That's sick," Luna groaned, looking pale, "How could anybody want to start something like...like _this_?"

"I'm not saying they did," Heine reminded her softly, "I'm just saying it seems kind of strange."

"Lenore Zala was assassinated as well," Yzak's voice was strangely soft, "Though Patrick Zala wasn't chairman at the time, it was suspected he was a possible candidate..."

"Politics," Dearka moaned, slapping his forehead, and wishing he could just as easily throw all the unwanted thoughts out of his head, "They're all insane!"

"You do realize every time you bad mouth politicians you're insulting your own father and the commander's mother, right?" Heine asked in unconcealed amusement.

"What?" Dearka blinked a moment, before realizing what he meant, and following it with a grin as remorseless as he could make it, "Course I do, but nobody here is gonna tell on me, right?"

Heine chuckled softly and Luna managed a faint smile. Shin only rolled his eyes, and Yzak predictably ignored them, still trying to break the glass with his glare. Rey merely cast Dearka a mildly inquisitive glance, before turning back to watching their Commander out of the corner of his eye. In truth, the blond pilot was the only member of the team Dearka had trouble understanding, so it was no surprise he had not anticipated the question now voiced in that calmly considering tone.

"What do you intend to do?"

Yzak jerked his head around in surprise, along with everyone else, to meet the ice blue gaze of the pilot who had barely spoken more than two words in his whole time with them, his utterance not far from the question on all of their minds.

"What do you mean?"

"It is fairly clear that you are not going to keep following ZAFT if things continue on the way they are going," Rey explained slowly, logically, "So what do you intend to do?"

All eyes were on Yzak now, who merely turned and glared back out the window, "I don't know yet," His response was unusually quiet, "But I haven't given up on ZAFT. I'm going to do what I can to change it from the inside before I ever think of leaving."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Shin asked sarcastically, taking the words out of Dearka's mouth. To hear _Yzak_, of all people, questioning ZAFT's method was little bit more than he was comfortable with. He would have expected someone like Nichol, or even Athrun, to express qualms about this, but Yzak had never been one adverse to violence, so this was completely out of the blue. Then again, maybe he should have seen this coming, after all, he _had_ been witness to that entire fiasco with the Chairman, "We are only soldiers. We are supposed to follow orders whilst those above us take care of everything else."

"You know something?" Yzak smiled suddenly, an expression that made Dearka's insides twist, "I never really liked following orders anyway."

* * *

"I can't believe the Earth Alliance built their new base _here_."

Mu's voice reflected disgust,a feeling Caggallie was sure they all shared, though everyone else was silent as they stared at the desolation about them, probably remembering the lives thrown away here, innocent people slaughtered within seconds, and no one ever brought to account. It had been thanks to the efforts of Chairman Clyne and Lenore Zala that that incident had not resulted in a full scale war, and it was not lost on Caggallie that it was the latter's husband who had driven the world to _this_.

The members of the Earth Forces who had escaped had worked hard to get the artificial atmosphere of the Seventh Colony active again, and there was no argument that they had not earned their hide out. What horrified everyone present was the fact they had considered hiding here in the first place. The ruined colony was little more than a floating headstone, a memoir to the thousands of people who had lost their lives there, and the only person who seemed unaffected by the whole affair, was, surprisingly, Athrun. His face remained passive, green eyes calm as they surveyed the destruction in which sanctuary had been discovered, though she could not help but wonder what he saw there lurking in the shadows. If it had occurred to her that Patrick Zala was responsible for forcing others to such a state of desperation, the thought had undoubtedly crossed _his_ mind as well.

"Well," She broke the still silence, more because she could not stand it anymore, then because she was actually ready to come face to face with Commander Azrael, "Let's get this over with."

Striding forward with the others only a step behind she approached the small building, which had once been a factory, but now, if Muruta's information had been correct, served as the Earth Alliance headquarters. She did not slow at all as she approached the two guards on duty, keeping her head high and her pace steady, and, reacting to her confident demeanor, they moved aside respectfully without question, allowing the small company entrance to the first room. It was here they found Muruta Azrael, despicable, monkey brained fool that he was, waiting patiently in a chair, with the most relaxed posture he seemed capable of adopting. Caggallie despised the man with a vengeance, the reason she had allowed Lacus to handle the negotiations along with her father, and she forcefully bit down on her tongue to prevent any of the thoughts in her mind from announcing themselves publicly.

"So, you did come in the end." Her host commented lightly, not at all put out by the grimness on many of the faces before him, or the fact he was pretty much alone in a room with more than one Coordinator.

"You have no shame," Caggallie retorted, unable to hold herself back any longer, "Of all the places to hide, you would shelter behind the very people you murdered?"

"You should know nothing is sacred in war, my dear, besides, the Earth Forces were not responsible for that then, and they aren't now," Muruta waved a hand airily, "In any case, this argument is of little consequence now. We are here, and we are here to stay, that is, if you want our cooperation in your little plan?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively, and Caggallie felt her blood begin to boil. At this point she would have liked nothing better than to knock the arrogant commander in chief's face in, but seeing as he was right and they _did_ need his help, such as it may be, she forcefully restrained herself and instead replied crisply.

"Fine. Where are the suits?"

"All in good time," Muruta got to his feet, dusting imaginary specks of dust from his pristine suit, hardly the clothing of a man who had been made into nothing but a rebel, "First of all I should like to discuss strategy with you."

"Strategy?" Nichol blinked, as taken aback as all the others at the sudden change in what had already been agreed upon, "I thought Orb was going to take care of the attack on the camp?"

"Orb is," The commander waved his hand again, a gesture Caggallie was becoming to find as irritating as the man himself, "But they are still _our_ suits, and therefore we should have a say in what you do with them."

Caggallie was seething now, her eyes attempting to burn holes in the back of Azrael as he walked away towards a small projection desk. She was about to launch into a tirade of abusive words when she felt a soft touch on her hand and looked up in surprise, meeting the verdant gaze quizzically, "Athrun?"

"He's up to something," He kept his voice low, well out of hearing range of any of her own companions, let alone Muruta, "Be careful."

Caggallie nodded, trusting his intuition as she forced herself to calm down, before joining the blonde man at the table. It had only been a couple of months, but she had already learned Athrun's advice was valuable and usually sound, which is why she did not hesitate to trust him now. "All right, what did you have in mind?"

Muruta's smile at her sudden meekness had him closer to a knuckle sandwich than ever before, had he known it, but as it was he moved without concern, activating the small, holographic map attached to the table, before outlining his plan.

"As agreed we have targeted a civilian POW base first," He pressed a button on the console, bringing up an enlarged 3-D picture of the building in question, "It should please you, Representative, the refugees from Heliopolis were taken here."

Kira immediately jerked to attention upon hearing that, his eyes drifting across to Caggallie, who only nodded slightly at him, keeping her attention focused on the Earth Alliance Commander, and on not giving in to her strong desires to do certain, unpleasant things to the man. Athrun's stoic presence only a step behind and to the left of her helped, for his eyes were focussed on the screen and the screen only, giving her an example to follow, if she only used it to try and get the blond man's smirk out of her head.

"The target is satisfactory. What information do you have on the security and defenses of the place?"

"Plenty enough," Muruta flipped another switch, and small dots appeared everywhere on the map, "The larger ones denote mounted cannons, the others are mere mobile suits assigned to rookies who were too useless to be assigned to the frontline."

"Those defenses are pretty strong for a mere civilian camp,"Mu scowled as his eyes drifted across the map, pointing out the same thing that occurred to just about everyone else in the room, Caggallie was sure. After studying the map a moment longer the blond Lieutenant glanced up at Azrael, a suspicious tinge to his voice, "Are you sure this is where the Heliopolis refugees are being kept?"

"Positive,"At this point Halberton, who had been hovering in the background, stepped forward. Caggallie knew the man well enough to need no introduction, he had been one of the few people within the Earth Alliance her father respected, and similarly she shared that respect. What she could not quite understand was how he had ever humbled himself enough to follow such a complete idiot as Muruta clearly was, but that was a question for a later time, and she merely listened to what he had to say, pleased somebody, in the very least, was able to provide sensible insights. "There is no doubt about it. I myself thought the level of security was overly high, but ZAFT have been acting without any plain reasoning lately."

"What do you mean by that?" Lacus asked curiously, for once absent of the presence of Haro, the toy currently lying deactivated in her bag. For the life of her Caggallie could not understand what made it so precious, though she had to admit it would be amusing to see that many people slammed in the face by the tenacious pink object every day.

"Well, several of the attacks and such carried out by ZAFT over recent weeks have been erratic," The general explained when his commander did not offer a response, "GENESIS has been fired during battles where there was clearly no need, for it was all but won already. Security has been stepped up in places, which were formerly thought harmless, and guards have been taken away from the more dangerous areas. If I didn't know better I would say the Commander in Chief of the ZAFT forces is insane."

"He's not insane," Athrun spoke quietly, eyes flicking across the information before them, "He's just clever. He likes to keep the enemy guessing, each move is carefully calculated. Even when he used to announce his attacks no one could guess what strategy he would use. If the movements of ZAFT have increased it is most likely he is planning something."

"But what could he be planning at a time like this?" Murrue wondered aloud, "Rebellions are breaking out everywhere, the Earth is hardly secure, what has he to gain?"

"If the rebellions think they have won they may make a foolish move," Andrew pointed out practically, "And there may be more than one reason why the security at the POW camp is so high. My guess is they are mining in the city of Heliopolis again and using the prisoners in the camp to work it."

"Commander Waltfield has a point," Nichol nodded, "If they can hurry the construction of Genesis along they can have the long range cannon finished within a month. At the moment they are only able to strike the rebels foolish enough to try and take down the PLANTs, anybody on Earth is safe."

"But he wouldn't seriously consider striking the Earth, surely?" Meyrin, who had insisted on accompanying them, finally found the courage to speak, her voice trembling audibly.

"Milk it dry, then kill it. Figures." Mu scowled darkly, clearly upset by the notion, though it soon became obvious Azrael did not share their trepidation.

"Anyway," Muruta was growing bored of a conversation in which he had no part, "Getting back to the _point_."

And at that moment, it was only Athrun's instinctive urge to seize her wrist that saved the blond man's face, that, and the abruptly unexpected interruption.

"You did not inform me our allies had arrived, Commander." the tone was lightly chiding, spoken with a well cultured accent that named the man just stepping into the room as a PLANTs born individual, even if the unusual, almost golden shade to his eyes did not already give that away, set in a pale face framed by midnight black hair of more than ample length.

"My apologies," Muruta was hardly sincere, and it was clear he had little respect for this man, at least as a person. As an authority appeared to be a different matter, because he proceeded to introduce the newcomer, rather than leaving him to do so himself, "Representative, Master Clyne, this is Gilbert Durandal, a researcher in our...employment." he chose that word carefully, Caggallie was sure, there was something more to this than there appeared, for starters, why exactly the Earth Alliance had employed a _Coordinator_. "He has been helping us in some of our weapons development schemes."

"Helping?" Kira bursts out, clearly without thought, "But aren't you...?" Apparently realizing just how untactful he was being Kira snapped his mouth shut, but to Caggallie's astonishment Athrun proceeded with the same line of thought, his words level and pronounced with deliberateness.

"A Coordinator," he stated flatly, before adding with clear suspicion, "Working for the Earth Alliance?"

"Working is a point of view, my boy," Durandal was entirely calm in the face of the harshly voiced question, and did not appear at all disturbed by the hard look even Siegel was giving him, "Besides, my weapons are not of the destructive kind, they are more what you would call a peaceful tool of resolution, one that does not cause bloodshed. In any case, please, do not allow me to interrupt, you were saying, Commander?"

Caggallie forced her attention back to the projector as Muruta continued to outline his requirements, though at the same time she had to repress a wholly irrational urge to shudder, the fact Athrun had taken a step closer to her, his eyes now focussed on the newcomer, not helping to reassure her in the least.

Not that she could blame him, for if Muruta Azrael was an idiot, by all appearances, this man could be his exact opposite.

* * *

The bridge of the Archangel looked more like some sort of aquarium than the control center of a battle cruiser, and had been that way for some time, a monotony that had exasperated most of the crew, though Mirriallia herself found the scene relaxing, and came here as often as possible when she was not on duty. Despite the fact the foursome she belonged to were not really trained they had been pulling their weight as manual labor in an effort to help with the repairs, as opposed to being left with nothing to do, as they would undoubtedly have ended up had they accepted the Captain's offer to take time off above water level. Of course, without any parts there was a serious limit to what they could do, but Miri didn't mind, and she doubted any of the others did either. She was happy just to be kept busy, anything to take her mind off of everything else. That was part of the reason she had refused to go above ground, having heard the state of the Earth was terrible, she had no desire to see any more of that than she had to, especially when so many people expressed doubt there was any hope for salvation.

Seated before her old console on the bridge she scrolled down the latest report from Meyrin Hawk, the shy red head whose family was currently putting up Caggallie and her closest advisors, as well as the initial members of the bridge crew, who had had little to do trapped down here. Mirriallia had only met Meyrin once, but the two girls had struck it off immediately, and since then Mirriallia had received numerous messages from her above ground friend. Her current acquisition was making her down turned lips turned skyward once more, and relieving at least a little of the tension that had been weighing on all of them. The mission had been a success, they had pulled it off without a hitch, no casualties, no death.

_And Kira is back, safe and sound_.

Sighing she leant back in her chair, resting her head on the back and gazing up at the ceiling, only to find her view blocked by the smiling face of a familiar brunette,"Hey, Tolle."

"Hi," Still smiling the boy slid into a seat beside her, "What you doing up here all alone?"

"Reading the mail," Mirriallia tilted her head towards the console, "Kira's back."

"Thank goodness! " Tolle let out an audible sigh of relief, sinking further into the comfort of his seat, "I honestly thought they were going to shoot him this last trial, and then with the reports about suicide..."

"Chairman Zala's way of covering his ass I suppose," Miri shrugged, not caring that Tolle was giving her a surprised look. She had developed a firm disliking for the two faced Chairman, and though initially she had had to be careful about uttering such words in front of his son, after all, she had owed the young pilot her friend's life, Athrun Zala was no longer aboard the vessel, and she was free to state her true opinions without fear of upsetting anyone's equilibrium. "The man is a tyrant."

"I guess," Tolle shrugged slightly, "I'm sure he has his reasons, Mir."

Mirriallia sighed, "You know what, Tolle? You seriously need to find someone to hate."

"How come?" The brunette grinned at her, hazel eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Because you're too nice," She smiled back, "You should be like, I don't know, six or something?"

"Are you saying I'm just an innocent child?" Tolle placed a hand over his heart, "I'm touched. But don't worry, I'm not that innocent. Don't you remember the hard time I gave Kira when he first met Lacus?"

"Of course!" Mirriallia giggled at the memory of the boy's red faced embarrassment, he really _had_ looked funny with that shade of skin, "How could I forget?" Her face sobered slightly, "It will be good to see him again."

"See who?" A third voice intruded on their solitude as Flay and Sai walked in together, and Miri wondered idly where they were going to hold their meetings once the bridge was back to being used for it's original purpose. It had become the place they all congregated in lately, though she doubted the Captain would approve if she knew. The bridge was where they received word from the upper world, and on top of that, it was deserted, a place they could meet in without fear of bumping into other, older members of the crew. As the youngest,and Orb soldiers, they often felt tense in other's company, and this was as good a place as any to escape that alienation.

"Hi guys," Tolle waved a hand in response to Sai's question, "Kira, of course."

"You mean they pulled it off!" Flay began to bounce in excitement, her pretty features lit up by a wide smile.

"Yep," Mirriallia nodded, amused by the auburn haired girl's behavior, "We'll be seeing him soon too. According to Mey they will be getting the parts they need from the Earth Alliance,then the Archangel will be heading back into battle."

"Speaking of which, you just got another message." Tolle nudged her with his elbow and Miri turned in her seat to see that he was right, swiftly clicking on the incoming line. She read the brief message quickly, eyes widening as she raised a hand to her mouth, not quite able to believe what she had read was right as she slowly went over it again, allowing each word to sink in separately.

"What is it?" Sai asked anxiously, "Something wrong?"

"No," Mirriallia shook her head, her voice little more than a whisper, "It's just...just...Oh, look for yourselves!"

The trio leant over her shoulder as one, each of their reactions mimicking her own. Flay was the first to break the silence, her voice holding hope and fear intermingled, "Does this mean...We'll get to see our parents again?"

"If everything goes well, yes."Sai nodded, looking slightly overwhelmed himself,though, predictably, it was Tolle who burst the bubble of stunned silence. Laughing the brown haired boy began to prance about in glee, Mirriallia just sitting in silence, her eyes filled with tears of joy as she reread the message from her friend.

"There is still hope," She said at last, firmness in her tones as she added, "And it's worth fighting for."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: In the Wreckage**

"I don't see why we were sent back here," Dearka mumbled under his breath, looking at the rubble lying about them, "Artemis was destroyed ages ago, what could possibly be here that is so important?"

"Who knows," Heine shrugged, glancing at the slightly blurred photograph in his hand, "But whatever it is it looks something like this."

"But we could spend all day searching this dump!" Shin protested inanely, and uselessly, though he must have known that already.

"We'll spend all week here if we don't get to work," Yzak retorted sharply, mostly because he was just as annoyed about this assignment as the rest of the squad. This was a waste of good talents, using them for what should have been a clean up crew's job, and he would have more than a few complaints to offer the Commander once he returned to the PLANTs. "Split up and keep an eye open, we don't know if there are any rebels centered in this area or not."

The group of six fanned out across the ruins of a base no one had bothered to salvage, and which now resembled a graveyard more than the great achievement it had once been. Once the crowning triumph of the Earth Forces' technology it had long ago fallen into desolation after a crushing defeat at the hands of the now well feared vessel, Vesalius, and it's team of elites. Yzak viewed the entire scene in disgust, for it was clearly evident the Earth Forces had made little or no effort to retrieve anything from this base, leaving both powerful machinery and weapons behind them, though he could not help but consider the disturbing fact of what might happen should the rebels find this treasure trove. If the Earth Forces hadn't bothered to clean this up, then ZAFT should have done something, for what they had left here would have been ample arsenal for anyone wishing to fight back, should it ever occur to them to look here.

"So much for a dump," he muttered darkly, "This place is loaded."

Moving carefully over the piles of insecure rubble he passed several of the hangars he himself had destroyed on his previous visit, noticing that the roofs of some of them were actually being held some way off the ground he decided to investigate, dropping down onto his stomach and wriggling through the gap into the darkness within, well aware this was really no way to treat his uniform.

Once underneath he was surprised to find he had room to stand and space to spare, though the air was so dust laden it made breathing a little problematic. Reaching to his belt he removed a torch from it's link and switched it on, shining the light about the mechanical graveyard, though what he saw was little more than he had expected. Half constructed mechs lay scattered about it's expanse, papers strewn everywhere, and the smell of something rotting wafted in the stank air. Trying not to think of the possibilities of what the smell might be coming from he picked his way carefully through the debris, keeping an eye on the supports holding the ceiling aloft. Being crushed was not on his 'to do' list for today.

The building was not a hangar per se, it looked more like a sort of development factory than anything. In fact, some of the models being constructed reminded him instantly of Orb's prototypes, the three vessels they had faced almost six months ago in the final battle against the three ship alliance. The prototypes had not been hard to beat, but Yzak did not think for a moment had these models been completed they would have been easy prey. The Orb pilots had been untrained, it was fairly obvious, and he could only imagine what a skilled soldier could do behind the controls of something designed specifically for Naturals' use. Scrambling up onto the cockpit of one of the wrecks he viewed the inside curiously, finding himself surprised by the amount of tech in the thing. It did not differ too greatly from his own vessel, the Destiny, which, although no longer new, was not an old vessel either. A few modifications had been made here and there to compensate for the unenhanced senses of Natural Pilots, but, other than that, the controls were much alike.

"This is a treasure trove," Yzak spoke to himself, "I wonder why we weren't sent here earlier? And why on earth were we sent to find only this?"

In confusion he shone the light back over his own copy of their target. The photograph was blurred, and the thing was not easily identifiable. All he knew was that it looked golden and was metal. _Very_ specific instructions.

Sighing he climbed back down from the cockpit, the dust and smell down here were starting to get to him, and he had almost decided to leave when a door at the other side of the factory that was,amazingly, unscathed caught his attention. Still keeping one eye on the roof above his head least it should go through on it's threat to crumble he plowed his way through the dust, papers, and junk littering the floor in order to reach the opening, though once there he found, much to his irritation, that the thing happen to be locked.

Grunting in annoyance he looked for the keypad before remembering that there was no power, which meant he was going to have to force his way in. Taking his pistol from his belt he stepped back, placing the torch on the ground and he studied the frame carefully. Fortunately, this was a hinged door, though it opened with an electronic lock, so, after taking carefully aim, he was able to nearly completely obliterate the hinges. When he had finished he slid the weapon back into it's holster, before trying to push the, now mutilated, door inwards. It refused to budge and Yzak, by now thoroughly irritated, took a step back before slamming his shoulder forcefully into the door, repeating the gesture once, and then again when there was still no reaction.

It gave way on the third blow, and abruptly he found himself falling through the gap...into empty space. With a startled cry he threw his hands out in attempt to stop his headlong fall, but too late. The ground and walls vanished from about him as he hurtled downwards into the pit of darkness, stopping abruptly when he collided with what he was certain was the hardest surface imaginable, just a moment before the world dissolved into nothing.

* * *

Caggallie watched the preparations for attack with some trepidation, resisting the urge to pace, or twitch, or simply wring the fabric of her coat with her hands. She could not explain her nervousness, after all, every single one of the pilots had checked the half a dozen machines _and_ the parts for the Archangel, but there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that insisted something was up, and it was not solely due to the personage of Durandal, though he was responsible in a large part. The man gave her the creeps, despite being perfectly civil and not in the slightest rude or impolite, it was an irrational feeling, and yet one that was so much instinct she could hardly ignore it. Though it was there, however, it was something more that had her on edge enough to pace, something she had not done since succeeding her father as Chief Representative, and she searched frantically for a cause, still coming up blank despite her best efforts.

"It must just be Commander Azrael getting to me," She decided at last, trying to convince herself as she added vehemently, "Man, I hate that guy!"

Turning away from the preparations below she marched back inside the building, swiftly making her way to the locker room to change, though she was still slightly miffed she had to wear a damn Earth Forces' uniform. It took her only a few seconds to don full pilot regalia, before she returned to her locker to retrieve her helmet. She picked it up slowly and without conscious thought, mind running over the plan again and again, looking for any type of flaw they could have missed, anything that would explain the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. In theory the plan itself was relatively simple, but this mission was to be quite different from anything they had ever done before, for this time they were relying on ground forces rather than the mobile suits.

Each suit was going to be carrying two personnel, one to fly it, and the other to be dropped off at strategic points about the base. Two of the suits that were not entirely suitable for combat would drop off both their occupants, these pilots working in pairs to infiltrate the base. Once the security was disarmed they would be able to safely get the civilians out before confronting the soldiers. This relied, of course, on not being caught.

In fact, the entire mission hinged on their ability to get in without being detected, for this reason Nichol and Meyrin had been chosen to infiltrate the first checkpoint, which would allow the second team past the initial security. Caggallie herself had chosen to be a part of the latter, joining Athrun, who had the best knowledge concerning ZAFT's general layout plans and what security might be like inside the actual building. As soon as Nichol and Meyrin got them inside they would make for the main security center, whilst the other excess personnel found the prisoners. Once the prisoners had been located and safely navigated out of danger Athrun and Caggallie would plot their course out of the base, hopefully with as little exchange of gunfire as possible.

As soon as they were out of the way, the base could be taken, that task being appointed to Kira, Martin, Andrew, and Mu, the four pilots who would remain in the air after dropping off their partners. Of course, their attack could only be successful if the two infiltration teams managed to disarm all ant-air combat systems _and_ managed to prevent any mobile suits from taking off. If possible the Archangel and Eternal would also come to back them up, but only if the necessary repairs were completed in time.

"Too many 'ifs'," She muttered, shaking her head slowly, watching her own reflection in the visor of her helmet, "This has got to be one of those mission where you have to be crazy to go on it."

"Most people would say we are crazy to be going against ZAFT at all," Caggallie jumped as Athrun closed the door to his own locker, she had not even heard him come in, not that that was a first, but it was slightly embarrassing to be caught talking to oneself, "I guess it fits."

"We're not the only ones," Caggallie responded, zipping up the neck straps on her uniform, "From what Muruta says there have been numerous rebellions all across Earth. Even some Coordinators have been taking part."

"But who can really trust Muruta?" Athrun turned to face her directly, and it was only then she noticed the worried look on his face, "I don't know why, but something about this whole arrangement gets to me. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he is planning to double cross us."

"I'm worried about that too," Caggallie nodded, then sighing as she forced herself to spit out the other half of the situation,"But, for now, we are reliant on them."

"I'm not too worried about the double crossing part," He corrected her, "What worries me is _how_ they intend to do it. You should try talking to Miss Azrael, from what I've seen she doesn't particularly like her brother, but she may have some idea what to expect. She was working as a spy, after all."

"But, why would she help us?" Caggallie frowned, "We haven't exactly been on the best of terms."

"I don't know," He shrugged, "But I have the feeling she will if you ask her."

"Okay," She nodded slowly, seeing the reasoning behind the suggestion, "I guess it can't hurt to try. Where are the others?"

"Nichol and Meyrin are downstairs, they are ready, as far as I know. Lacus, Murrue, and Councilor Amalfi are preparing to take the parts back to the Archangel and Mu is helping them, Andrew and Martin are already in their suits, and I think Kira is down with Lacus."

Caggallie cast him a sidelong look, but his face was unreadable and she could not even begin to guess what he was thinking. Sighing she ran a hand through her unnaturally red locks in an attempt to vent her pent up emotions, for she certainly needed to be calm to attempt the next part of this conversation.

"Do you suppose ZAFT will really fire GENESIS on the Earth?"

"I don't know," it was a double layered admission, though she did not have to press to get him to admit that, "I would have liked to say my father would never go that far, but..I don't know, not now."

"Would letting him know you are alive make a difference?" It was a proposition she had been considering making for a long time, but there had never seemed to an opportune moment. Now probably wasn't one either, but it was something that needed to be aired, preferably before it was too late to make a difference.

"I doubt it," she was taken aback by that answer, "He never really listened to me."

"But," she hesitated, then threw caution to the wind and continued hurriedly, "Don't you realize he never launched his full scale assault until after you were announced MIA? I know some of the attacks before then were violent, but...but this was something more. I'm convinced the Chairman was out for revenge, Athrun, and if he still is, and there is a way we can avert that, don't you think it is worth the try?"

"You're making assumptions," he was being persistently stubborn again, and she resisted an urge to throw her hands in the air in frustration, though his next words froze her in place, "What makes you think he even cares?"

The look in those emerald eyes when they met her gaze was enough to silence her initial protest, and for a moment she was lost for words, before slowly, and deliberately, she spoke, "Do you think he doesn't?"

"You didn't answer my..."

"Answer mine and I'll do the same," she retorted childishly, folding her arms and adopting an immovable posture, "Do _you_ think he doesn't?"

"I don't know," he admitted at last, when the silence had stretched for a good, long moment, "I used to think he did, but.." he shrugged, helpless of any other way to express his emotions, "The evidence is to the contrary."

"Only if you choose to see it that way," Caggallie argued firmly, "But what about looking at it from _his_ point of view?"

"And what point of view would that be?" It was becoming almost a game for them, for her to deliver answers _she_ believed to be truth, despite trying to make him realize them on his own. She had tried to make him draw his own conclusions, but time and time again she was thwarted into giving the answer herself, so that she ended up knowing very little of _his _thoughts, but wearing her own heart on her sleeve. This time appeared to be no different, as with a defeated sigh she responded.

"I asked Lacus about your father a while ago, and she told me of a conversation she had overheard between her father and yours."

That occurrence had, in fact, led to a number of revelations, including an offered perspective even Lacus had not considered. At first, Caggallie had been as riled up as the songstress at apparent lack of care for his only son, particularly after such a traumatic experience, but it had occurred to her, almost simultaneously as it had to Lacus, that Athrun had never _told_ anyone about his own location and experience during his mother's death. So far as anyone knew, he was merely a child grieving the loss of a parent torn away far too early in life, and, in the view of a man who had never been less than stern, a child who needed to grow up and accept facts.

Patrick Zala had been as oblivious as anyone else to the horrors Athrun had been witness to, the brutality, as well as his own inability to do anything, and so the hidden trauma had been left untended. Who was to say the father would have been as cold had he known the truth? So far as the Chairman was concerned, he was merely teaching his son to live in a world _he_ believed would soon be war ridden, and though that preparation had been premature, it had been an attempt to protect his child from emotional horrors that would inevitably come. So his method had been perhaps callous and hard, but, after long deliberation, Caggallie had decided that all that mattered had been the attempt, because, in actual truth, the Chairman had, at least to begin with, been protecting his son in the only way he knew. It had been difficult for her to see it that way, to rationalize actions she felt like punishing, but her father had always taught her, even as a child, to try and see beyond the decisions made to the reasons behind them, and so she had not been able to simply condemn. There was always a reason _why_, he had said, and so she had found one.

But, how to tell Athrun that? Especially after he had been used as little more than a living weapon by the very same person. So far as Athrun was concerned he had lost his father when he failed both to protect what remnants of a family he had left and to prevent his father's descent to butchery, because, for some reason Caggallie could not quite fathom, _both_ of those eventualities had somehow become the young pilot's fault. To tell him, then, that following his wife's death there had still _been_ a part of the man that could have salvaged his personality was perhaps not the most tactful move in the world.

"Caggallie?"

"Uh," Lost in thought she jumped when addressed, abruptly realizing she had not finished her earlier thought as she hurried to come up with an improvisation, "Let's just say I still think there's a chance, you shouldn't give up on him so easily."

"Okay," he had his head cocked to the side, watching her with a strange expression on his face, "You're one strange person, you know that, right?"

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Somewhat offended she glared at him, only more fiercely when he laughed.

"You're Kira's sister, maybe?" he offered brightly, "Anyway, hadn't we better hurry up? The other's will be waiting you know."

"Oops," Hurriedly placing her helmet over her head she strapped it carefully into position, before giving a curt nod, her eyes alight with determination, "All right," her voice was muffled now, "Let's do this."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Hidden Prizes**

"Ouch," Yzak winced slightly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, a simple action that would have been much easier had his vision not been spinning in nauseating circles. He was pretty sure that there was going to be a nasty bump on his head later, but for now he just concentrated on trying to find his torch, which had rolled away when he fell, and remaining upright without the blackness contriving to tilt in ways that should have been impossible, given that it _was_ blackness. "Remind me to never, _ever_ do that again."

After a few moments of fumbling in the dark he finally laid hands on the elusive object, only to find the bulb had shattered on impact. Grunting in annoyance he tossed it aside, realizing he would simply have to find his way around without it. It was not an overly large obstacle, his eyes adjusted to the dark easier than any Natural's, but, even so, he could see no more than a few meters in each direction, and had to move cautiously in order to not trip over.

The underground hangar was huge, but it seemed empty, and any sound he made echoed off the walls and came back to his ears a thousand times over. Yzak continued the search blindly for only a few minutes before he got tired of stumbling about, turning back in frustration to try and find a way out. As he turned he swept the room about him one last time, peering in the blackness, and was on the verge of abandoning the fruitless search when the glint of light reflecting off something metal caught his eye. Curiosity once more getting the better of him he marched across the space between him and the object, carefully avoiding those shadows that rose up to block his path, though it was only once he reached it that he realized what it was.

Sucking in a breath sharply he stared up in awe at the magnificent structure, one hand unconsciously making it's way to the transmitter on his belt, before he realized he had dropped it when he fell. Letting out a groan he turned away from the enticing treasure to go back to find the others, that is, until he realized he had absolutely no idea where the door was.

"Of all the..." He began, prepared to have a full blown argument with his own echo, or at least vent some steam, because he doubted this day could get _any_ worse, before the obviousness of the solution to his problem suddenly occurred to him, and he laughed out loud. Turning back to his find with a triumphant smirk he folded his arms in a superior gesture, before stating matter of factly.

"Well, there is more then one way out of this place."

* * *

"I thought I told you not to come here," Gilbert was not really surprised at the fact that man had shown up so unexpectedly, he _had_ been expecting it ever since transmitting that file to the Chairman's office, though the clearly irate, blond Commander could hardly know that, "Why have you risked our exposure?"

"And I told _you_ not to interfere," was the barely restrained response, the other man visibly trembling in fury, no doubt all the more so due to the impassive glance he received in response, "What were you _thinking_? I had the Chairman in the palm of my hand and..."

"Exactly, Le Creuset," he cut in smoothly, neither speaking harshly or even raising his voice, but still effectively silencing the other, "_Your _hand. You have forgotten your place, and I believed it a timely reminder for you to prove you are not the only one who controls the strings of this world. Besides, had you done your duty as you ought the Zala child would truly have been dead, last I saw him he was alive and well, and no doubt well aware of the fact my role here is not quite so simple as it seems."

"You showed yourself to them?" the Commander was incredulous, but he simply shrugged, confident in the fact he had played his game well.

"Unlike yourself, Le Creuset," he responded calmly, "I believe in playing a much more subtle game, with less...violence. Your means are certainly useful, and thanks to the funds brought in by your efforts my research is nearly complete, on the other hand," he tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing slightly as his voice hardened, "I believe _you_ might be planning something of your own. Am I wrong?"

For a moment the blond man hesitated, his confidence facing others not as sure a servant here, before responding with as much haughtiness as he seemed able to muster, "I still have two years of time as my own man," he answered coldly, "Can you blame me for making use of them?"

"Certainly not," he smiled, knowing the gesture would throw the other off, "And I must say I am very interested in what you chose to do with Gladys. Does she even know who the boy is?"

"I doubt it," he was being watched closely now, but Gilbert ignored the look, turning away to gaze out the bar of transparent material, his little window to the illusion, "She doesn't even know who _I_ am."

"Indeed. Is that a fact? I wouldn't count on it, Le Creuset, she showed an undue amount of interest in the boy's education, so it is possible she knows the truth of matters, even if it appears otherwise. It was unfortunate she could not be trusted, but," he shrugged, pretending indifference, "Something that could not be helped, I suppose. In any case, you have my word to interfere no further in your plans. I shall let them come to fruition."

"What does that mean?" Le Creuset was not so foolish as to take Gilbert's words at face value, as he had done once, and though that was a small loss, it was nothing that could not be overcome.

"For once," he responded simply, "I mean exactly what I said."

* * *

"This plan is beginning to look less appealing by the moment."

Kira's mutter, supposed to be under his breath, earned an amused grin from the pilot seated beside him, perhaps a suitable recompense for being overheard complaining, for it was the first time he had seen Athrun smile since being rescued, though he _had_ laughed on the way back, and both this time and that it had been at Kira's expense. The pair of them were just a small part of the group currently gathered around the screen Meyrin was in control of, the same screen which was showing the hacked camera views of the base in question, and just how well said base was protected. The assault could not proceed until Meyrin had finished providing that same feed to every one of their suits and the small, portable devices they were to carry with them, a safeguard against getting caught when remaining unnoticed was such an important part of this plan, even if seeing the sheer size and scope of security within the place was thoroughly disheartening.

Lacus was not present at the moment, waiting for the repairs on the Eternal to be completed, and Caggallie was seated opposite Kira, between Nichol and Meyrin, in discussion with the former, and watching the latter work. Kira did not really know whether she was trying to reassure their forward group or what, but she had taken away his first opportunity for some conversation, so it was relief to be able to speak with Athrun in a way resembling natural exchange.

"You don't even have to get inside the place," Athrun reminded him, keeping his voice low enough that the rest of the party could not hear, not that any of them were paying much attention to anything but the images being displayed, "What have _you_ got to worry about?"

"Caggallie," was Kira's instant, and natural, response, "She _attracts_ trouble, I swear, and with so much trouble to be had..."

"It appears to be a family trait," Kira did not know why Athrun sounded so amused uttering that statement, or why he had glanced quickly at the blond girl, "Don't worry about it, Kira, Caggallie knows how to look after herself."

"Yeah, you're right," Inwardly, Kira was leaping for joy at how natural this conversation was, as opposed to the stiffness that had been between them during both the escape and any time they had been in the same room after that. He did not exactly know what it was that had been wedged in between them, but, for the moment, perhaps due in part to the mortal peril they were soon to engage in, it appeared to have dissolved, and, if he had anything to say about it, it would _stay_ that way. "It's certain other people who tend to neglect that side of things."

The look Athrun gave him was one of blank innocence, and Kira was left wondering whether Athrun really didn't know whom he was referring to, or whether he was _choosing_ not to know. Smothering a sigh he decided it might be wise to change the subject, and searched for a suitable avenue of conversation, even if the only ones he could think of had something to do with the war, one way or another. Once upon a time he wouldn't even have had to search for a subject, but now, it was a struggle just to think of something to say. _So much for a dissolving wedge_.

"How long do you think Azrael will last?"

"Huh?"

"Azrael," realizing he had not been entirely clear, Kira carefully elucidated, "How long do you think it will be before he decides to stab us in the back?"

"You saw that too?" Athrun's smile was grim this time, and he turned back to watch the screen as he answered, "I don't know. Hopefully, not until this operation is complete. He won't have anything to gain by attacking us before then, no prizes, and no strength with which to fight back against ZAFT. There is...something that bothers me, though."

"Something _other_ than being turned on? Joy," Kira sighed, rolling his eyes, before pressing for more, "What would that be?"

"Muruta delayed before agreeing to the treaty," Athrun turned back to him, verdant gaze troubled, "One moment he was deliberating, apparently not satisfied with the ban on nukes, and then the next he's jumping to sign it. Then there was all that nonsense about which target to choose, hardly necessary, and delays in supplying us with the mobile suits. It seems like a lot of unnecessary procrastination, and it makes me wonder."

"Wonder what?" Even as he spoke that words, Kira knew, somehow, that he didn't really want to know the answer, so it was no real surprise that Athrun's reply caused him to flinch.

"What exactly he's planning to do whilst we're occupied."

* * *

"Well, this is freaking wonderful," Shin stated loudly, "Our first mission in months and we lose the Commander straight off!"

"We didn't lose him," Dearka corrected cheerfully, "He's probably just too shitty to answer his communicator."

"I don't know," Heine protested worriedly, shading his eyes as he glanced about the ruins, "The ground here isn't very stable, he might have gotten into trouble."

"Do you think we should go look for him?" Luna asked fearfully, her own eyes drifting to the setting sun.

"We would most likely end up lost ourselves," Rey pointed out, the only one of them seemingly not either worried or annoyed, "He could be anywhere."

"So what are we supposed to do then?" Shin demanded abruptly, "Stand around here until the sun sets and we freeze our..."

"Oh, shut it, Shin," Luna interrupted in exasperation, "I'm sure he just got held up or something, we just have to wait."

"For how long?" the youngest member of the team challenged, "Hey, Captain, how long are we supposed to wait?"

"Well, I..." Dearka began, only to be cut off as the ground rumbled loudly beneath their feet, sending them all sprawling as it shook.

Before any of them could recover there came a loud explosion from beneath one of the ruined buildings, sending dust and debris flying everywhere, so that every last one of them was forced to make an ungainly dive for cover. Only once it was clear were they able to see what had caused the damage, though Dearka was certain not one of them had been expecting what met their curious eyes. Shin, for once, was speechless, Luna's jaw had dropped several inches, even Heine looked startled, whilst Rey's bright blue eyes were a fraction wider. Dearka could not help himself, and he began to laugh as the massive, golden mobile suit made it's smooth landing. Too smooth, he noted inwardly, Yzak was showing off.

"I guess we don't have to go and find him," He chuckled, climbing to his feet and dusting himself off as Yzak slipped from the cockpit and walked towards them, "The show off."

By Yzak's smug expression it was pretty clear he had intended to shock them all, though Dearka wondered if the others noticed the fact Yzak's uniform was more than a little rumpled, not to mention that small cut on his forehead. He would have lain money on the fact Yzak had merely stumbled across the suit, though his Commander would never admit it. "Well?" He said once he was within hearing, "I think this was what we were sent to find."

"A...mobile suit?" Luna blinked slightly, her voice conveying her astonishment, "When did the Earth Forces have time to develop _that_?"

"I don't know," Yzak shrugged, turning to look over his shoulder at the magnificent prototype,"I'm probably going to hate myself for saying this, but they did one hell of a good job! That thing handles as good as, if not better, than the Destiny, has an almost unlimited power supply, and from what I can see it's armor will deflect just about every attack."

"Whoa," Dearka grunted, his grin growing wider by the second as Yzak's eyes narrowed, though he was sure his friend already expected his next quip, "I want it."

"Our orders are to bring it back," Heine reminded him, looking amusedly at the pair, "Not squabble over it."

"Right," Yzak nodded as Dearka began to grumble to himself, "We'll go get our own machines and carry this one back."

"And then what?" Luna asked curiously, "Is that really all we were supposed to do here? I mean, there's so much equipment that was just _left_."

"I know," Yzak admitted, "But, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, clearing this mess up was not our priority. We've just got to return this hunk of metal to the Head Quarters at Carpentaria and then receive our next mission, whatever the hell that will be."

"It'd better be something better than this one," Shin grumbled, his arms folded and his expression not far off a pout, "What are we, the clean up crew?"

"We are whatever we are required to be whenever it is required of us, in most cases, at least," Heine informed him with the same optimistic resignation Dearka knew drove Yzak insane, "Shall we go, then.._before_ the sun sets?"

"Sure thing," Dearka grinned suddenly, inspiration hitting him, though Yzak was more prone to call it 'idiocy', "But I'm flying the new one! I can carry mine with it!"

"Now, wait just a minute...!" Yzak began, already too late, for Dearka was halfway into the cockpit.

* * *

Ezalia Joule was a practical woman who rarely found herself ruffled, years of experience on the Supreme Council of the PLANTs had only added to that experience, and she was well respected as one of the most immovable members of the governing force, second only to Patrick Zala, which was why she was so utterly bewildered at the most recent actions of aforementioned man. She had always been a strong ally of the Chairman's, preferring his stronger approach to Clyne's passive one, and yet recently she could not understand a move he made. To make matters worse he was neglecting his duties on the Council, and recently she had unwittingly confirmed the rumor that he had left the PLANTs, albeit without the Council's knowledge. Where he had gone seemed a matter of discussion as well, and it was safe to say the Supreme Council was pretty much clueless as to what to do now.

And to make matters worse, if that were possible, Commander Rau Le Creuset had also pulled an impromptu vanishing act, leaving a rather messy package for Ezalia, as the deputy Chairman, to clean up. Dealing with the Supreme Council would not be too difficult, she was sure, simply because eventually those on the military side would stop squabbling and listen to her, and because Eileen Canaver, Clyne's successor to the deteriorated Peace Committee, did not have the strength of character to make any real sort of protest, certainly not with the small amount of backing she was likely to receive. That was one issue she could wait out, then, and the matter of the Chairman and Commander would likely resolve itself within time, if she was patient enough to see what it was the two men had planned out this time.

Not even the news of a more open rebellion in Orb was that disturbing, and Ezalia remained unmoved through all this, confident that the worst had been overcome, and that no other nasty surprises were likely to come her way before the Chairman returned to reclaim his position and his duties.

Which was likely the reason why, when the news was first told to her, all she could do was simply sit there for a moment, frozen in position, before responding with all the fire her son had inherited.

"What the hell do you mean GENESIS has been taken?"


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Problems Abound**

"You were sent to the Artemis base just to retrieve..._that_?"

Talia could not quite hide her incredulity, perhaps because she was talking to Heine, who at least would not tell on her, and perhaps because it really _did_ seem that stupid. The suit was impressive, certainly, but if they had known it was there why hadn't it been retrieved _months_ ago? Such a valuable piece of equipment as it was, it seemed ludicrous that it had been left where anyone could have stumbled across it. Down below Captain Elsman was leaning against the leg of the thing, giving a somewhat excited recounting of his experience flying it to Shin and Luna, one whom looked torn between rapture and jealousy, and the other almost decidedly bored. Yzak had vanished off somewhere upon landing, muttering under his breath, though Talia doubted she wanted to know what he had been saying, not after one look at his appearance. She was beginning to get the feeling he could easily be a volatile individual to work beside, though she had seen evidences of a less...angry side amongst his other teammates.

"It does seem rather odd, doesn't it?" Heine agreed calmly, unaware of her drifting thoughts, "An elite team of soldiers deployed to retrieve a mobile suit, granted, a very cleverly constructed suit, but just a suit nonetheless."

"Whose it for?" Was her next question, mostly because she was sure if it had been retrieved so specifically it had to have been for a reason. She had her inklings as to the answer to that question as well, but she didn't want to jump to any conclusion, so she waited for Heine's response.

"Don't know," the chestnut haired pilot could only shake his head, a look of bemusement firmly settled on his face, "Hm, I seem to be saying that a little too regularly for comfort, lately."

"Commander Joule seemed of the same impression," Talia remarked dryly, remembering a certain conversation back on the PLANTs, "With that kind of talk even within the Special Forces I don't know how long it will be till the Chairman loses control."

"Yes, it does seem to be a matter of when now, rather than if, doesn't it?" Heine's tone remained calm, but the brief flicker across his eyes was trace enough of his unease, "It will be messy, when it comes."

"Especially if the Earth Forces choose that precise moment to make a vie for power," Talia added, considering the worse case scenario, "I imagine such an outcome would have us all in a tight situation."

"And what to do, then?" Heine sighed, folding his arms and adopting a thoughtful frown, "This situation is getting more and more volatile, it will explode eventually, and when it does there will be so many different sides it will be difficult to make sense of anything. What are we to do, then, do you suppose? Side with the PLANTs? And, if so, which faction? Or with Orb, here on Earth, where at least there is only one form of leadership? I imagine many people will be asking themselves where their loyalties should be lying, and with so many people already gravitating towards the Clyne Faction, it may very well be that force that ends up holding the key of power."

"That's true," Talia had taken note of that trend before she ever left the PLANTs, the small groups of people leaving the colonies, though they were most likely doing so beneath the radar. Lacus Clyne's address had challenged what many people believed in, and had in fact changed the allegiances of many more, whether the Clyne Faction was aware of it or not. The questions she had posed were within everyone's minds now, even the Supreme Council's, "But does it really matter which side we are fighting for, so long as we are still protecting what we want? The Clyne Faction, the Supreme Council, on either side we are still able to protect the PLANTs, and, in truth, that is all I think really matters. Protecting loved ones, it is what drives most of us,and we will inevitably stay wherever we can be reminded of the reason why we do what we do."

"Why do you suppose the Chairman did what he has done?" Heine spoke musingly, as though he was voicing thoughts, rather than actually addressing her, "He made a grand bid for power, then placed all that power in the hands of his subordinate."

"And what a subordinate to choose," Talia exhaled softly, declaring her unease surrounding Rau Le Creuset, "It is obvious Commander Joule has no liking for him, and I must confess I, myself, find his presence a little disturbing, and it's not just because of what I know. I fear that what happened has twisted him into something no longer human, and I fear what he might do now."

"He is very focussed," Heine was diplomatically neutral, "I believe he sees only an end, rather than the consequences of the means."

"Something that is no doubt thought of as admirable in the military, but can hardly be constructive for our future, at the moment," she sighed, resisting an urge to run her hands through her hair, which would have dislodged her cap in any case, "At the moment if he sees only an end he could very well destroy us all...Is something the matter, Rey?" She broke off as the young pilot entered the room, casting a glance first at the machine, then towards the pair standing looking down on it. It was not so much a lack of trust that caused the Captain's silence, but more a desire not to implant doubts that were not these youngsters' own within their heads, especially in the mind of the young pilot now before her. Eventually, they would have to make a decision, but they should do that on their own, after deciding on their own reasons.

"Commander Joule wants you on the bridge," Rey announced at last, after a quick salute, face as unsettlingly unreadable as always, "We are receiving an urgent, coded red message from the PLANTs."

"The PLANTs?" Talia exchanged a startled glance with Heine, before in synchronization the pair moved for the door, Talia's utterance just loud enough for Heine to hear, "I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

"Lacus!"

Kneeling bent over a map detailing the area where the assault was to take place the young woman looked up abruptly at her father's hail, getting swiftly to her feet and hurrying to his side, leaning on the back of his chair as she peered over his shoulder at the most recent message from the PLANTs. They did not have many members of the Faction left up in the PLANTs, but those that were had been unfailingly regular in reporting any odd occurrences, including the sudden disappearances of both the Chairman and the Supreme Commander from the PLANTs with no consultation with the Supreme Council. This new message contained something far more alarming, however, and she could not quite conceal the gasp that left her lips as she straightened.

"Is this for certain?"

"I'm afraid so," Siegel nodded gravely, switching the monitor off as he turned to meet her worried gaze, "This has the capability to change _everything_."

"I was under the impression ZAFT had stationed a large number of it's troops at GENESIS," Lacus mused, her mind running at a hundred miles an hour as she tried to settle on any possible contingency plan for this occurrence, "How was it taken so easily?"

"I don't know, but it does disturb me," her father rested his elbow on the desk, clasping his hands beneath his chin, and focussing his gaze out the window rather than at her. She recognized it easily as a sign of stress, and placed a light hand on his shoulder, listening to the rest of what he had to say, "Unfortunately, there is very little we can do from down here."

"Do you think we should tell the others?" Lacus did not think that was a good idea right now, not whilst so much depended on the teams maintaining their focus, but she would not make the decision without her father's consent.

"It won't make any difference to us in the short run," he shook his head slowly, "This mission must still be completed, even if it ends up being for no purpose at all. GENESIS is a dangerous threat, but one we are not capable of facing just yet. By taking this base, we may be giving ourselves a means of fighting back, it is truthfully our only chance, because I don't think we'll get another."

"Miss Lacus?" Murrue's sudden appearance cut off any further chance for conversation, the brunette woman flanked by Natarle on one side and Kisaki on the other, "The Eternal and Archangel are both ready for flight," the captain continued, once both the room's occupants were looking at her, "Are you ready?"

"I am," Lacus turned to her father, "You will stay here and wait for further developments?"

"I'll send word if anything happens," Siegel agreed with a nod, "Take care, Lacus, and good luck to you all."

* * *

"These things _really_ weren't designed for two people!"

Athrun resisted an urge to laugh as he watched Caggallie try and find some position that was a little bit more secure than simply standing alongside the pilot's seat in the cramped cockpit of the mobile suit. What she had said was true, and there was barely room for the both of them in there, but, considering they had already traveled in more confined spaces on their way to the PLANTs to rescue Kira, he really couldn't see what the issue was this time, and rationally pointed this out to her once she had finally found herself a position she was somewhat happy with.

"That was different," she answered abruptly, folding her hands in a huff, clearly much more comfortable now she was out of the uniform she had worn to fly one of the extra mobile suits down to Earth. Whilst the other pilots retained their suits, the two of them, and Nichol and Meyrin, had discarded them in favor for clothes that blended in better. Given that their mission was one of infiltration, and possibly having to fit into cramped spaces yet again, the pilot's attire was hardly the best for the task. The fact Caggallie had not liked wearing the Earth Alliance colors to begin with was a larger part of _her_ decision to go in more generic clothing, of course, not that she would ever admit it, "There is too _much_ space."

"Um...what?" Those two statements were contradictory, and she seemed to realize this as she hurried to explain, at the same time watching closely as he settled himself into the pilot seat, closing the cockpit before proceeding to run a thorough diagnostic of the entire vessel. He still wasn't entirely confident in the fact these machines were safe, but it was too late to do anything now but check it well.

"I mean, if it was going to be a small space, it should have been small enough that I don't have room to be thrown about," she answered calmly, with a little bit too much rationality in her tone, "If we get blasted, I could get hurt with no way to strap myself in."

"I see," for a moment he met her steady gaze, before suggesting the same thing he had tried to not that long before, "You could pilot it, you know."

"Oh no, you're not going to bring _that_ up again," she waved a finger threateningly in his face, tempting him to smile again, although then she was likely to complain he was not taking her seriously, "We both know you have the better chance of landing this hunk of junk."

"And a hunk of junk it is," Athrun agreed wholeheartedly, frowning at the stats showing on his screen. Muruta hadn't been kidding when he said two of the suits were only just running, in fact, he was surprised this one worked at all, let alone had made the flight down to Earth. Allowing the program to finish checking the final adjustments he reached for the pack he had picked up before mounting the vehicle, removing a small communicator from it and passing it to Caggallie, "Here."

"What's this?" she held it gingerly, as if afraid it might explode or something, and carefully he tried to explain to her it's purpose, knowing there was a chance she could explode at him for this idea as well.

"It's in case we get separated," he stated quietly, "That holds all the information you will need to get to the security centre, as well as all the hacking data I have on getting into ZAFT's systems." She opened her mouth to interrupt, but he hurried on before she could so much as utter a sound, "I'm hoping it won't come to that, but this mission _will_ be dangerous, and we can't let it fail just because one of us does."

"Right..." Caggallie nodded, pocketing the device, though the look she gave him was one of suspicion, "You aren't going to pull anymore hero stunts on me are you?"

In the process of firing up the stuttering engines he paused, casting her a quizzical glance, "_Hero_ stunts?"

"It's what you do," she stated defensively, before abruptly shoving forward out of the corner she had placed herself in, "And I have something to give you as well."

"You do?"

"Yes," nodding she reached her hands up to her collar, removing the pendant which had been concealed within her shirt, and swiftly dropping it over his own neck, so that the tiny, red spherical stone came to settle just below his collar bone, "It's a good luck charm," she explained upon seeing his questioning glance, "It was a gift from a good friend of mine, and it's served me well, but, well, let's face it," she offered him a wry smile, "You need luck a lot more than I do. I mean, I thought _I _took risks, but you," she bit her lip, and for a moment her expression was uncertain, "Well, you take the cake." She muttered at last, dropping her gaze to the floor of the cockpit.

"Caggallie..." Taken aback by this sudden display of infirmity he searched for the right words to say, only to choke on those forming in his throat as she abruptly leapt forward, closing the space between them as she enveloped him in a bear hug that crushed the air out of his lungs.

"You have to promise me you'll be careful," she demanded sharply, not loosening her hold in the slightest, "None of your usual recklessness, do you understand? No unnecessary risks!"

This close, he could feel the slight tremble in her body, and he understood now just how much losing someone else frightened her. When one looked at how much this young woman had lost already, as well as being saddled with the responsibilities of an entire country, it was hardly surprising that she feared losing anything else. He could see now why he had not been able to find Kira or her earlier, she had most likely given him similar instructions, though clearly he had not been able to allay all her fears. Understanding the reasons behind her actions now he hesitantly took his hands off the controls to return her embrace, not failing to miss the slight hitch in her breathing when she became aware of his actions.

"I'll be careful," he answered softly, releasing his hold the moment she drew back, though his hands slid easily to adopt a position on her shoulders, their faces only inches apart in the confined space, "I promise."

"You'd better be," the bravado was back now, though she did not resume the distance between them, not just yet, still holding on to what she knew, as well as he did, were precious moments, "Or else you'll have me to answer to!"

* * *

Luna watched in some amusement as Dearka bolted for the lifts, clearly knowing there would be some penalty to pay if he was late for Yzak's summons. She did not know if they were supposed to go as well, but, as Rey had not mentioned it, and was not moving himself, she considered herself safe in remaining. Someone needed to stop Shin from playing around the new suit too much anyway, and _she_ didn't want to get into trouble for not watching him.

"How do you suppose they make it work?" the youngest member of the team was still in fine spirits, fascinated by the new machine in a way only Dearka could possibly understand, "It even reflects beams!"

"I imagine it's design is similar to the umbrella of Artemis," Rey offered, though he seemed unusually preoccupied, his gaze focussed on the closed elevator doors rather than the machine itself, "It has a smaller energy field, which is just as effective at preventing any type of attack. It merely reflects the blast back."

"Then we'd better hope it's just _similar_," Shin gave a snort, "Artemis didn't turn out to be quite so impregnable after all, did it?"

"Thanks to the talents of the Blitz's pilot and the machine's unique capabilities," Rey shrugged, "All it really means is ZAFT's design was the perfect weapon against the Earth Alliance's design. I imagine this machine has weaknesses as well, for example, it may stop beams, but it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever if you used a sword against it."

"That doesn't make it any less cool," Shin responded, turning to the machine with wide eyes, an expression Luna was quickly getting bored off. It was just a new mobile suit, after all, how could he be so excited about it? He was acting like _she_ would if she was given the news her family was all right. _Boys_. _Ha!_ "Besides, I doubt they could even get close!"

"And therein you have discovered the problem," Rey's smile was somewhat knowing, and Luna waited to see how he would deflate Shin's euphoria. It was something she had seen happen again and again during Academy, when Shin had a tendency to go overboard, and it was something of a relief to know it had not changed now. Her job was to rebuke Shin when he was misbehaving, and Rey's to calm him when his excitement and hotheaded nature got him into trouble, or his head into the clouds. They were a somewhat efficient unit in the end, because Shin _was_ talented, he just needed bringing back down to Earth on the odd occasion. "The pilot's tendency to drift to overconfidence. But, of course, an experienced pilot would know never to rely on a machine's functions to get him out of trouble, right, Shin?"

"Of course," he was blustering now, and Luna resisted an urge to giggle, "I was merely pointing out that..er, it gave you a huge advantage on the battlefield and..."

"All right, you three," The grim note to Heine's voice had all three of them spinning about swiftly to meet the senior pilot, "Get moving. We've been called back to space on a mission of great urgency."

"A mission?" Shin perked up at once, "A real one?"

"It doesn't get much more real than this," Heine's seriousness had Luna's stomach twisting in knots, and she was soon to discover just how accurate that instinct was, "GENESIS has been captured, we are to regain it, before the people now holding it fire it on the PLANTs."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: A Father's Lament**

Frustrated would have been a mild word to explain what Patrick Zala was feeling at the current moment. All of them, vexed, irritated, infuriated...none would have been able to sum up his temper, and it was all he could do to prevent himself from snapping, quite unfairly, at the soldier who had answered his questions. His impromptu visit to the Orb port from whence the picture had been taken had turned up no further leads, and when he had spoken to the guards on duty at the time he could have kicked himself, because his son's presence was not remarked upon by any of them because of the decision _he_ had made not to announce Athrun's new status. That choice had allowed Athrun to slide beneath the radar with an ease that almost impressed him, and most likely would not have failed to do so at all, had it not been what was preventing him from locating the boy.

Rau had given him every assurance he was doing all within his power to further the search, but Patrick had been unable to stand idly by, and he had not even taken the time to tell anyone before making the abrupt decision to come to Orb. Most likely his colleagues would have denied that privilege in any case, what with the unrest here and in the PLANTs, but his actions, irrational even in his own mind, had hardly been done at his own bidding. It was as though something else had seized control of his body, yet, at the same time, he knew it was his own will that had brought him here.

_Good grief, Zala, you're going soft._

But the boy, no, not _the boy_, his _son_ was alive, alive and most likely involved with a group that would be shot on sight for renegades. He may have reneged that decision, even offered Clyne amnesty, heaven knew he had begun to see the peace minister's side, if it would end with Athrun safely returned, particularly since it had been his decisions in part that had contributed to the predicament in the first place. Young Joule had always been a willful individual, so it had been little surprise when he had requested giving a report separately to Rau's, and not only that, but to be the only one present when it was given. Initially his request had been denied, but after his success in Orb and subsequent promotion Joule had used his new authority to overthrow that decision, offering his report, not on the battle, as expected, but on Athrun's own well being in such a thorough, and clearly disapproving, fashion that the Chairman had found himself forced to take a step back and reexamine nearly every decision he had made when dealing with his son.

Joule's report had been one of grudging praise to begin with, his admittance that Athrun had coped well with many a difficult situation clearly words he would rather have choked on than uttered before the subject, and the fact he was bold enough to have accused Patrick himself of a lack of awareness when it came to his own son enough to have infuriated the Chairman at the time, until, that is, he had been silenced by the young commander's claim that Athrun had gone so far as to return to the family residence where Lenore was killed simply to seek some sort of reassurance, reassurance he _should_ have been able to receive from his father. Reassurance, Patrick had initially convinced himself, the boy did not need at all, because at the time, he had been incapable of giving it.

But as the report continued, and Yzak had explained his concerns in relation to Athrun's state of mind he had begun to realize perhaps what a great mistake he had made, though the greatest shock had yet to come. That was when Yzak told him the man he had just promoted, with the unanimous approval of the Council, to Commander in Chief, had been the one to make the ill-fated decision that had put a troubled young man on a battlefield without the resolution he required to survive, _after_ being warned that was the case. Yzak had certainly had no qualms about expressing his anger at that decision, a slow, pent up realization the young commander had obviously not come to until after the battle, but something that had driven him to make the bold move of reporting to the Chairman, about his own _son_.

He had been unable to make a response to Ezalia's child once he was done, had done nothing to stop the young commander leaving, and not because he was disgusted with the newly promoted Commander, who had told nothing but the absolute truth, with a fire he should have been commended for, but because he was disgusted with _himself_. He had never been as close to Athrun as the boy's mother, mostly because the quietly pensive personality of the boy was closer to his mother's, and because Athrun's natural obedience had prompted him to be silent more often than not before his rarely-at-home father, when speaking out might have opened his parent's eyes sooner. He had known he was not as close, had blamed it on various reason, working and never having time to spend with his family foremost amongst them, but the truth was he had failed to understand his child, failed not through a lack of means, but through a lack of attempt.

Athrun had not been everything he expected from a son, he had been a quiet achiever, gentle, kind, and unfailingly modest, but Patrick had seen most of these traits as flaws, things that would hold the boy back in a rapidly hardening world, where he should have been bold, outspoken, ruthless if need be, and yet still _obedient_. He had dismissed achievements that he did not believe aided in furthering one's position in life with ease, ignoring Athrun's talent for tinkering with mechanical devices, a useless hobby, and even going so far as to ban the activity when he felt grades had not been up to scratch.

Each and every one of those decisions had been easy, almost as easy as the way he had dismissed the dimming of the light in those luminous emerald eyes whenever he ignored an achievement or dismissed an activity, so it had always been Lenore Athrun would go to with his successes, the place where he could receive encouragement, rather than a reminder that such 'trivial' things were of little worth in the real world.

That had all changed, of course, when Lenore had been stolen from them, the light of their family dimmed, and strained connections finally snapped.

Athrun had not cried in his father's sight, not once, his face had been grim and pale, the look in those young eyes strained and bewildered, but he had not cried before his father, because somehow he had instinctively known it would earn disapproval. He had known, and Patrick was shamed now to admit it was true. _Everything_ Siegel had told him concerning that matter was true, and yet he had failed to see until it was too late. He had been failing to cope with his own grief at the time, a weakness he had refused to admit to, and to protect himself he had built walls that not even the child could break through. No, _especially_ the child, because in Patrick's eyes, Athrun had been his mother.

They were so similar, the pair of them, in not just looks but in nature, and every minute spent in the son's presence was a reminder of a loss Patrick struggled to cope with. So he had alienated Athrun to protect himself, never once thinking of the consequences he was causing to the boy.

Athrun had grown from a boy to a young man without his father, under the guiding hands of the Clyne family, where approval was readily given, but where he still sought to fulfill the standards of a father whom he rarely saw. The first time Athrun had come to him in his office had been seven years after their family was broken, just after his fifteenth birthday, when Athrun had made the decision to enlist. It had undoubtedly been an attempt to win favor, and perhaps, beyond that, a desperate ploy to be able to spend time with the parent he never saw, to fix the broken bonds of a family. He himself had seen it as little more than what was duly expected, and once again he had failed to see the disappointment in the verdant gaze, right before that same gaze dropped to the floor, hiding pain, until shields built over years could do that without turning away.

He had not been surprised when Athrun graduated amongst the elite, it was what was expected, so there was no congratulatory slap on the shoulder, no proud father, just a newly elected Chairman addressing the graduates, before returning to duties of office, unaware of the misery he was leaving in his wake. Athrun had not been assigned to a team, yet he often took control of his comrades when they were sent out onto the battlefield, and it had seemed natural once again to accept Rau's decision to place the boy in charge of the assault on Heliopolis.

What he had not expected, on the other hand, was for Athrun to voice an argument.

Not that that argument had been difficult to quell, obedience had been driven into the young soldier well enough that Athrun eventually relented, though there was still doubt in his gaze when he turned away, he had completed his task admirably. Admirably; the same way he did everything else. But that had been when the seeds of doubt had been sown, when the boy's faith in the fact his family would eventually become whole again was shattered. Athrun had come to see what Patrick had not until it was too late, a revelation that had horrified the father all the more, because he had had to accept the fact _he_ had used his child as a weapon. His and Lenore's boy, their son, their _baby_ as a weapon.

Joule's words alone were enough to inform him Athrun had been cruelly disillusion in respect to the trust he had in his father, his last days spent in bitterness, and that thought had tormented him to the point where it had been necessary to lash out at other's to ease his own suffering, a situation he soon realized was a grim reflection of the same way he had been following Lenore's death. Rau had been left in charge of matters on Earth, despite the fact Patrick had little faith in the man after what he had done to aid in Athrun's destruction, simply because the Chairman had been struggling to come to grips with the consequences of his own actions, the consequences Siegel and Lacus had both seen long before he did, the fact his bitterness was destroying the very thing he was trying to protect. He had only ever wanted Athrun to be strong enough to defend himself, to be unreliant, and yet in doing so he had taken away the support necessary to attain that independence.

He had believed that mistake was irreversible, then, he was granted a second chance.

He had been unable to move from his position, slumped in his seat, meeting that intense gaze that was not even focussed on him, and yet seemed to see right through him. He had studied every last aspect of that young, scarred face, the skin a hue paler than it ought to have been, making the disfigurement show all the more, yet the life in those eyes enough to almost hide the damage._ Alive. He's Alive._ They were the only words that would form in his head, taking his thoughts in continuos circles that never ceased, until other thoughts arose, thoughts that demanded answers, and tried to attain them, forcefully, from Commander Le Creuset.

It was not until after that encounter that he had realized it had been _natural_ to turn to the man for the answers, and it was only after that the sickening realization of just how much control he had granted the masked man sunk in. He had _allowed_ himself to be controlled, until now, he did not doubt Rau held enough power to destroy him if need be. Which was why he had come here alone. He could not risk that man getting his hands on his son again, or, to be more truthful, to allow Rau the opportunity to work his words in strings that would entangle Patrick in a web he would not see until it was too late again. He could not allow that to happen, not again, so he had made the decision to leave the PLANTs in secret, to leave and try and salvage a relationship he was not even sure existed anymore.

A futile quest, perhaps, but one he could not abandon. He had done his duty to the PLANTs for longer than he could remember, it was long since time he did his duty to his family.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Luck**

Meyrin shifted edgily in her seat, eyes drifting across the controls before her, and to the small screens where she could mark the progress of Athrun and Caggallie through the base, the small dots on the other screens telling of the presence of the rest of the advance party. Nichol, seated on the opposite side of the console, was in charge of monitoring the mobile suits, whilst in the corner, the place she tried _not_ to look, lay four guards, securely bound, gagged, and blindfolded. They had not been easy to tackle, if one considered the fact they were Coordinators, nevertheless they had managed, and so far not a single alarm had sounded. To Meyrin, who had never so much as handled a gun before, the entire thing had been more than a little terrifying, and even now she could not rid herself of the lead ball that had settled in her stomach, lightened now only slightly by the elation that they had made it this far.

To be taking part in such an operation was still a surreal experience for her, something she had never expected herself to get involved in. She had made the decision to stay out of war, believing, as her parents had, and yet Luna had _not_, that fighting was not going to resolve any of the issues that threatened the world. Yes, perhaps she was a little over young to be already deciding such a matter, but fighting repulsed her in a way she could not ignore, the very reason she had chosen to remain in Orb, despite Luna's attempts to convince her otherwise. She had not failed to realize either, that, had she left Orb, she would not be a part of any of this, and whilst these things she was doing terrified her to her very core, there was a strange sense of exhilaration in fighting alongside these people as well, in knowing she could very well have a part in liberating the world. It was a giddying concept, and one she found hard to comprehend, but it was a comfort right now.

"We may actually pull this off..." She blushed as she found herself accidentally speaking her thoughts aloud, fearing rebuke, but Nichol responded seriously, and without the slightest hint of disapproval.

"So far, so good." He smiled slightly, leaning back in his chair, turning chocolate brown eyes to meet her nervous gaze, his voice and face kind as he asked, "This is all new to you, right?"

Meyrin nodded, swallowing nervously, before adding a verbal response, "Luna was the only one in our family who joined the military. She wanted me to go and become a professional hacker, or perhaps a transmissionist, but I hate violence, so I decided against it."

"I don't think anybody really likes violence," Nichol mused, "I know I don't, Athrun doesn't, and neither does Lieutenant La Flaga if the truth be known. We fight because we have no choice, it is the only way to protect our homes and beliefs."

"I know," Meyrin nodded, "But the thought of war and...killing...well, it always repulsed me. I hated it, so I tried to stay well away from it."

"Then you got pulled into all this..." He smiled sympathetically.

"I don't mind too much," She assured him, trying to put conviction into her voice, though it was difficult to act confident when your stomach was doing murder to your insides, "I have my reasons. My home is no longer safe, no where is, there is no way for any one to escape this violence. It is also the only way I have to protect my family, and," She paused, shyly, "I want to help my friends."

"We appreciate it, really," Nichol smiled again, "You've been a real help, and it mustn't be easy when you are technically fighting your sister."

"Luna..." Meyrin breathed, his words digging up a fear she had tried to bury, "I wonder where she is? We haven't heard from her since the takeover almost three months ago."

"I'm sure she's fine, we'll..." Nichol broke off, moving at lightning speed out of his chair as a bullet thudded into the wall where his head had been a moment before.

"Get down!" He hissed, pulling Meyrin from her own seat as another round was set loose, shattering the window above them and forming several dents in the wall behind.

"They've found us!" Meyrin said fearfully, holding back a scream, "They'll set off the alarm!"

"Not unless they can get past your firewall," Nichol reassured her, "Stay down, I'm going to try and see what's going on."

Moving cautiously he crawled out from beneath the counter where they had been hiding, lifting himself slowly so he could peer out of the window, then ducking down swiftly as their assailants fired again.

"There are three of them," He gasped, face visibly paler, "Stay where you are, this could get nasty."

Meyrin nodded mutely, too afraid to speak she watched in silence as the green haired Coordinator drew his pistol from his belt. She did not fail to notice the fact that his hands were shaking slightly as he released the safety lock, or the perspiration on his forehead as he crawled towards the door. _He's scared. _For some reason that revelation made her feel better, and she lifted herself into a crouched position, eyes lifting from the ground to check on the progress of the rest of the party. None of their individual missions had been disrupted, but they still seemed to be moving at a heart wrenchingly slow pace.

_Come on, guys, we're running out of time!_

* * *

Nichol edged himself up the wall beside the door, getting ready to fling it open, though really that was the last thing he wanted to do. He knew he would only have a short time to aim and fire before ducking back inside, but he already had a vague idea of where the enemy was. Even so, he found himself wishing Athrun was there. His former captain had graduated as the best marksman in the school, a skill Nichol would have found relatively handy at this point. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he slowly turned the nob before him, tightening his grip on the handle of his weapon, before flinging the door open and letting three bullets loose from the barrel, ducking back inside just in time to avoid being impaled.

"You got one!" He was surprised to hear Meyrin's excited voice, but had no time to celebrate the small victory as someone let off a machine gun.

"Crap!" Diving to the ground he covered his head as a dozen or more holes appeared in the door, "If they didn't know we were here, they do now!"

Without thinking he leapt to his feet and approached the window, taking out the second sniper with a single shot, leaving only the sentry with the machine gun.

"Good shot," Meyrin commended him quietly as he joined her back beneath the console.

"_Lucky_ shot," He corrected, "I'm not actually terribly good at this."

He winced as another window shattered on the other side of the room, informing him that their attacker had now moved to the other side. Instructing Meyrin to keep her head down he crawled across the room,hoping against hope his luck would hold out he shot up and discharged the last three bullets in his pistol, watching in relief as the final gunman slumped to the ground. His relief was short lived, however, as he heard Meyrin give a startled yelp, and swinging about he didn't even have time to react as a bullet thudded into his flesh.

* * *

Caggallie was panting heavily in her efforts to keep up with Athrun's long stride, and Athrun was sure she was still wondering, even if not aloud this time, why ZAFT insisted on building such excessively lengthy corridors. They had already had to hide three times to avoid patrol parties, and this had slowed them down too much for Athrun's liking. So he had opted to run, speeding up their trip, but also rendering Caggallie breathless.

"Are...we...almost...there?" She managed to gasp as he skidded to a halt, glancing down at the small device in his hand, a digital map showing them the way around the maze of a building, as well as providing the feed from the cameras.

He smiled slightly at her question, "Almost. It's in this corridor."

Caggallie looked down the hall he indicated, lined with at least a dozen separate rooms, all of them unmarked, "Which one?"

He shrugged, "The map isn't that precise."

Caggallie snorted, "Wonderful. I'll take the left."

Athrun nodded, beginning to cautiously and methodically check all of the rooms on the right hand side. The pair were in luck, for the security center was situated in the third room on the right, and, more amazingly, it was empty. Whatever triumph that might have proved was remarkably short lived, however, for Athrun had only just turned to hail Caggallie when the sound of a machine gun being discharged boomed through the corridor. The pair exchanged worried glances, but knew they had to complete their task, regardless of what had happened outside.

"You had better lock the door," Athrun instructed as he position himself in the controller's seat and slid the head set over his navy locks, listening to Caggallie fasten the door behind him, at the same time unable to quite stop the worry stirring in the back of his mind.

_I hope Nichol and Meyrin are okay._

Brushing the thought from his mind he quickly set about hacking into the base's security system, Caggallie hovering silently in the background as he worked. Using the same method he had used to free Kira Athrun had gained access in a few moments, the screen resupplying the feed Meyrin had been able to retrieve earlier, as well as ingress to all security features of the base, including defensive weaponry, and the locations of prisoners. On top of that there was also a tracking beacon for every last member of the personnel within the base, meaning it was quite easily possible to plot the location of all enemy soldiers.

"That's a bonus," Caggallie said, leaning over his shoulder so that he could feel her breath on his cheek,her hand resting on his shoulder. Once that proximity might have made him uncomfortable, but he had been in enough tight squeezes with Caggallie for it to seem perfectly normal. "Can we do anything with it?"

"Possibly," Athrun pressed a few more buttons, "If I time it right I may be able to trap the guards in certain areas." He paused, frowning as another thought occurred to mind, "Muruta was right, there _are_ a lot of people here for a mere civilian camp."

"Why would they need so many guards?" Caggallie wondered aloud, straightening from her bent position, "It doesn't make any sense. They didn't have this much security at Heliopolis, and they were mining there."

"Something tells me this is a bit bigger than your usual mining plot," Athrun frowned, "The question is 'what'? What could possibly be here that is so important?"

Before Caggallie could reply they were both startled by a loud bang on the door, followed by the sound of angry voices, and something hot being set against the metal. Athrun's hand instinctively went to his holster, Caggallie copying his motions, though for the moment there was nothing either of them could do, and no way out. So the pair stood in silence, waiting warily for whatever was coming into the room, ready to fight if need be, even if the only thing they achieved was time for their allies.

* * *

Meyrin had been so rapt up in watching Nichol dispatch their main enemy she had not noticed that one of the guards they had taken out earlier had knocked off his blindfold and used one of the many shards of glass to cut the rope that bound his wrist. Where he had gotten the gun from she did not know, but one thing was for sure, she wasn't going to let him fire again. Barely stopping to consider the possible consequences of her actions she grabbed the nearest heavy object she could find and, with one smooth motion, she clobbered the man across the head.

He slumped to the ground instantly, but Meyrin did not wait to see just how much damage she had inflicted, instead she rushed directly to Nichol's side, smothering a cry of alarm as she knelt beside her injured friend. The bullet had fortunately been ill aimed, and had only succeeded in embedding itself in his hip, rather than in any of the vital spots soldiers were trained to aim for. For this reason the wound was not fatal, but still painful, and the young Coordinator could not support all his weight on his own. Meyrin anxiously helped him to his feet and aided him in reaching the chair, aware, in the back of her mind, that by now it was likely the whole base was aware of their presence. Right now, on the other hand, she did not care, so long as she could make sure Nichol was all right.

In spite of his pain Nichol managed a slight smile of reassurance for her as his eyes drifted to the limp form sprawled on the ground, an awed note to his voice as he remarked, "That was some hit!"

Meyrin blushed slightly, "He was trying to kill you!"

"Hey, I wasn't complaining," Nichol closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his breath coming in short gasps, his hands growing red where they had pressed a portion of his coat against the wound.

Meyrin watched him anxiously, well aware of the fact she would never be able to get him out of here on her own, "Are you okay?"

"I won't die," He opened his eyes and nodded reassuringly, "How...are the others?"

Meyrin glanced up at the monitor, startled that she had forgotten all about their main mission, "Caggallie and Athrun have arrived. The others are still moving, but they are getting closer."

Nichol nodded, "We...just have to...hold out...a little longer."

"But what if," Meyrin's voice trembled slightly ,"What if they come back?"

Nichol frowned slightly, his face pale, but his voice entirely level,"Get me my gun."

Meyrin obediently retrieved the pistol he had dropped upon being struck, Nichol receiving it with a grateful nod, then carefully proceeding to reload it, one handed, no less, and finally setting it on his lap when he was done.

"I'm going to finish my job," He hissed slowly, despite wincing in pain, "Even if it kills me." He looked up at her fearful expression, smiling in an attempt to pacify her, "You should go."

Meyrin's eyes widened considerably, her heart thundering in her chest at a hundred miles an hour, "What...What do you mean?"

"Go," He waved a hand towards the door, "Get to safety."

"No." Her answer was flat and he predictably opened his mouth to argue, but she continued in tones firmer than she had ever uttered before, "I will not leave you behind. I'm staying, if it means we both die, so be it. I refuse to leave you alone."

Nichol stared at her in astonishment for a moment, before a smile found it's way onto his face, "Thank you."

Meyrin nodded, resuming her seat at the other console, "Now," she said steadily, "What can we do to help the others?"

* * *

Caggallie watched the smoldering crack in the door slowly become wider, the sound of Athrun's frantic typing reminding her just how much every second counted. Whoever was outside was relatively determined to get in, and Athrun was doing everything he could to help the rest of the mission before they were halted.

"How much longer?" she hissed under her breath.

"Done."

"What?" She turned in surprise to see the look of triumph on his face, her eyes drifting to the screen to see for certain if he was telling the truth.

"It's done," He repeated himself, getting to his feet, "I've sealed most of their security in small rooms, and put a lock on the controls so nobody else can get in. I've also disabled their weaponry, though a few mobile suits might possibly still be able to launch."

Caggallie felt a smile forming on her own face, "You mean, the others have a clear run?"

Athrun nodded, then both of them jumped as something banged against the door yet again, this time causing the metal surface to tremble in it's frame.

"They're almost in." Caggallie growled, her hand groping for her gun again.

"Then we are out," Athrun turned and kicked the chair he had been sitting on over into the corner, and it was only then that Caggallie spied the vent in the rooftop, letting out a strangled laugh of relief. Athrun, who had by now mounted the seat and was unscrewing the grating, cast her a quizzical look. "What's so funny?"

"These guys need to watch some action movies," Caggallie stifled her laughter, "It's the oldest escape route in the book."

Athrun only shrugged, pulled the grating out of position before turning and beckoning to her, "I'll give you a lift, then you can help me up."

Caggallie nodded, turning away from the door as another resounding bang sounded on it's surface she placed her foot in his hands and was soon boosted up through the gaping hole. It took her only a moment to seize the sides of the vent and pull herself up, immediately wriggling around in the cramped space, twisting herself about with some difficulty to peer down. She was forced to wait patiently as Athrun moved the seat away and hid the grating, before positioning himself below her and jumping. Caggallie had great reason to be thankful for Athrun's lighter than usual weight as she pulled him up through the hole, only seconds before the door was finally smashed open and someone they could not see stepped inside.

"There is no one here," An irritated voice stated loudly, "What a waste of time! It's just a security glitch!

"Make sure," A second man stated, "I swear I heard something, and why else would the door be locked?"

The two fugitives held their breath, hardly daring to move as the room below them was thoroughly searched. In spite of this, however, their hiding place was not discovered, resulting in a rowdy argument between the two men, the words of which they could not quite make out, before the searchers gave up and left. Caggallie let out the breath she had been holding then jumped as Athrun began to laugh softly beside her. It was, in fact, the first time she had ever heard him truly laugh, except for that one time heading back from the PLANTs, and that had been more strangled relief than anything.

"What?" She asked, curious as to what should have stirred his mirth.

He only shook his head, whispering in response, "I can't believe they were so stupid they didn't even think to look up here! Yzak, Dearka, even Nichol. All of them would have checked the vents, yet these guys..." He broke off in another chuckle, Caggallie giving a slight giggle of her own, before plucking his sleeve lightly.

"We should keep moving."

"Right," Athrun's smile vanished immediately, his mood turning serious, "It's this way."

Moving on all fours he began to lead the way down the vent, Caggallie close on his heels.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Discoveries**

Whilst Nichol, Meyrin, Athrun, and Caggallie played hide and seek with the security forces of the prison base Kira, Andrew, Mu, and Martin all hovered anxiously in the air space just out of the reach of radar detection. They had all been instructed not to move until they received word from the advance party that it was safe to do so, but Kira was finding it more and more difficult to wait patiently. His sister and his friends were in there, and he hated feeling so helpless.

"Hey, kiddo, any word?" Mu's voice broke into his musings, telling him the older man was just as on edge about waiting, and he swiftly replied, trying not to allow the hint of frustration he felt into his voice.

"No, nothing."

Mu immediately recognized that same frustration, despite his efforts to hide it, and quickly offered his reassurances, "I'm sure they are fine. The Archangel and Eternal will be here soon, and then we can act."

"Not until the civilians are out of the way," Andrew reminded him soberly, "I really hope those guys are okay."

"Have a little faith, for crying out loud!" Mu cried, "You guys are such pessimist!"

Andrew chuckled ruefully, "Old age?"

Martin snorted, about to make some smart reply when they were all interrupted by an incoming video link.

"It's the Hawk girl and Amalfi's kid," Mu said descriptively, immediately activating his monitor, "What's up, you two?"

Meyrin was the only one who appeared on the screen, she looked scared, but determined, and when she spoke her voice was steady, "The civilians have been found," She said firmly, "They'll be safe in approximately five minutes."

"What about you guys?" Kira asked, not failing to notice the bullet holes punctuating the wall behind the red head's image.

Meyrin glanced behind her, at something they could not see, before responding, "We're okay. Nichol is injured, but it's not life threatening. I don't think it is, anyway."

"And what about the other two?" Andrew asked the question on the tip of Kira's tongue, "Where are the Representative and Athrun?"

Meyrin scowled, her eyes drifting to another monitor, "I'm not sure. We lost their signal."

Kira felt his heart give a lurch, "W-What do you mean?"

"Someone created a firewall," Meyrin shrugged helplessly, "We can still track all the others but for some reason Miss Attha's signal is gone."

There was a moment's silence as the gravity of that news sunk into them all, before Mu spoke slowly, "I'm sure they're okay. Your friend, Athrun, is too skilled to be taken down easily, Kira. I'm sure Caggallie is perfectly safe."

"Yeah, I guess..." Kira was not convinced, and it showed in his voice, though Mu had no further chance to change his mind as a third party joined the conversation.

"Hello, everybody," Lacus' face was uncharacteristically grave as she spoke from the bridge of her vessel, flanked by Representative Amalfi and Kisaki, the other officers distributed on the Archangel, "The Eternal and Archangel are both ready for action, how are we doing?"

"You'll be able to attack in about thirty-seconds," the relief in Meyrin's voice was obvious, "But we have lost contact with Athrun and Miss Attha."

"Are they all right?" Lacus asked anxiously, though Kira could almost hear Mu's rolling eyes as he realized this conversation was going in circles.

"We don't know," Andrew told her gravely, "But they will have to fend for themselves, we cannot help them because we do not know where they are."

"Very well," Lacus nodded, though she did not look satisfied, "We are ready, as soon as the time is right, give us the word."

* * *

From her calculations Caggallie believed they had been crawling for at least ten minutes, back breaking work she was already beginning to tire of, though she knew, logically, that they could not go by the hallways because most of them were sealed off by various doors enclosing the different members of the base's personnel. This did not mean she had to _like_ it, however, and frustrated with the ongoing silence she finally uttered an impatient complaint. "How much further?"

"We are here."

Athrun pulled back a small, sliding grate and crawled forward, dropping into the hallway beyond, before turning to help Caggallie down. More relieved than she would have liked to admit Caggallie did not even stop to protest that she hardly needed help, allowing him to aid her to ground level, straightening the moment her feet were on solid ground and trying not to give in to the urge to stretch as though she had just woken from a long slumber. Instead she distracted herself by glancing around the unfamiliar surroundings, noting almost at once that they were far below ground level.

"What are we doing down here?"

"I want to see what they were doing here," Athrun told her, gesturing to the dim, earthy smelling tunnel they stood in, "All the civilians should be gone by now, so we are safe to move around."

"Okay," Caggallie nodded calmly, before placing her hands on her hips and fixing him with a level stare, "That's _great_, Athrun, but what happens when the rest of our group attacks? Won't _we_ be buried?"

"I don't think so," Athrun shrugged, choosing not to note the sarcasm in her voice, "I believe there is quite possibly another way out of this place, it is only a matter of finding it."

Caggallie sighed, relenting,mostly because she knew this was one of those arguments she was _not_ going to win, before following in his footsteps as he began to travel further beneath ground, relying completely on the temporary lighting arrangements for their eyesight. For a while all they saw was tunnels, tunnels, and more tunnels, scenery Caggallie felt was just about as boring as the inside of a ship once one had spent more than twenty-four hours inside it. She was on the verge of suggesting they go back when their surroundings abruptly changed, the passageway they were in suddenly opening out into a huge hall, the sides of which stretched further than the eye could see, branching out in all directions.

"Wow," She was rendered speechless as she joined Athrun on the provided viewing platform, staring at the great expanse about them, "It must have taken them ages to excavate this! I wonder what it is for?"

Athrun responded with only two words,"Look down."

Caggallie obeyed, and promptly gasped. The room traveled down for several floors, but that was not what amazed her, for, parked in the bottom of this dark pit, was a large, fully armed battle cruiser. It's form was sleek and well proportioned, the large cannons that adorned it blending in with the red and silver color scheme and giving the whole thing a sophisticated look. Upon closer inspection she also realized it was built completely of the same rare metal that had been used for GENESIS, the metal stolen from Heliopolis, and the very same material that resisted extreme radiation to the point of indestructibility.

"What...?" Her voice sounded strangely constricted as she spoke, her horror at the fact _this_ was what her people had been being used for choking her, but Athrun replied calmly.

"I believe it is called the Minerva," he responded, "It was only in the planning stages when I was still with ZAFT. It's engines are powered through Nuclear means, hence the radioactive resistance material used in building it. That metal is also unnaturally strong, if this ship had ever been released, it would have been a nigh on unstoppable killing machine."

"And ZAFT was using civilians to do this? _Slaves_ do to this?" Caggallie could not keep the anger out of her voice, "How _dare_ they!" she paused, eyeing the specter below her, "Do you think it is finished?"

"Looks like it, why?" He turned to glance at her, though it was clear he already suspected what she was about. In fact, come to think of it, it was probably why he had brought her here. Out of all of them, Athrun was probably the one who knew just how much of a disadvantage they were fighting with, and, if he could find means to lessen that, he would, and _had_.

"We could use that sort of advantage," Caggallie spoke half to herself, "I wonder how they were planning to get it out of here?"

"There are hangar doors over there," Athrun pointed to their left, "I'm guessing this emerges from that hill we saw coming in."

Caggallie glanced where he pointed, nodding absently, before turning back to him with the slightest traces of mischief beginning to form on her face, "Want to have a look?"

Athrun returned her grin as he nodded, and the pair stepped onto the nearby lift together, slowly traveling down through the multiple levels until they reached the boarding ramp of the gleaming vessel. Caggallie did not hesitate, in spite of the fact the thing was that more awe inspiring up close, but instead led the way on board without a single pause. The interior of the vessel turned out to be just as advanced as the exterior, with the latest weaponry, training facilities, and communication means all installed.

"Wow," Caggallie breathed as they walked out into the bridge, "The Chairman must have been planning something big for this!"

Athrun ignored her comment, leaving her to admire the general splendor of the thing he made his way to the transmission center, sliding into one of the seats and slipping a headpiece on, "This ship is connected to ZAFT's main communication line."

"Really?" Caggallie leapt down into the pit to join him, "They must have been just about ready for take off then. I wonder if there are any mobile suits on board?"

"You can go look if you like," Athrun told her, "I'll just send a message out to the others and then I'll join you."

Caggallie nodded, turning to leave, only to freeze as her companion gasped, the softly uttered protest just reaching her ears.

"_No_!"

"What is it?" Urgently she turned back to him, trying to see the screen, though there was no need, for glancing up at her, fear evident in the verdant gaze, he responded simply.

"GENESIS."

* * *

"I am presuming," Yzak stated with the utmost calm, standing across the small briefing table, alongside Talia, Heine, and Dearka, the rest of the team seated a few steps back, and opposite both Rau and Tad Elsman. The chief of security had recently learnt Ezalia Joule packed a punch as bad as any the Chairman could deliver, and that his position on the Council was not quite so secure as he might have thought, and, if Yzak had his way, he was about to learn the woman's son was just as formidable. "That at some point or another, you _are_ going to tell me what the _hell_ is going on?"

"Yes," Talia's agreement was spoken in much milder tones, but the woman was still clearly as irritated as he himself was, "That would certainly help in understanding the situation."

"Of course you're going to be told!" Tad Elsman had raised his voice yet again, showing just how much he was shaken, the fact Rau remained silent something Yzak found troubling. He was of the opinion Le Creuset preferred to be in charge of the conversation, so why was he bowing out now? "Someone has seized hold of GENESIS, as you already know, and they are threatening to fire it on _us_."

"And, of course, the GENESIS is also loaded with a long range cannon now, isn't it?" Heine remarked grimly, earning a nod from Le Creuset, who broke his silence to respond.

"That is correct, but such a weapon would be of little use against the PLANTs, it takes too long to charge and the colonies could have been moved out of range before it could fire. My guess is they will use the close range weapon."

"Who are 'they' exactly?" Yzak ventured, knowing full well he had been told little other than what he already knew since arriving on the outermost of the PLANTs, although whether that was because Elsman was flustered or because he was deliberately doing so was difficult to tell, "Who are we up against?"

"The remnants of the Earth Forces, we believe," Rau replied coolly, "Clearly they have no desire to allow things to continue as they are, and, because of that, they have found themselves without any course of action except to exterminate all Coordinators. We were foolish to believe they were beaten at all, they were clearly just biding their time."

"The remnants of the Earth Forces?" Dearka spoke in low tones so only Yzak could hear, leaning in as his father began to speak to Talia, "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Why not?" Yzak whispered back.

"Because I heard that they are attacking a ZAFT POW base."

"_What_?" Yzak suddenly realized he had drawn attention, and hurriedly lowered his voice, "What are you talking about?"

"It was an unanimous message," The tanned man replied, "But apparently the place where the citizens of Heliopolis were taken has been seized."

"Shit! That's where the Minerva is! But wait, if..."

"Exactly," Dearka nodded, "If the Earth Forces were attacking there, how could they possibly be the ones to take GENESIS?"

Yzak frowned, "A duel attack?'

"They wouldn't have the resources," Dearka pointed out, "There is something more going on here."

"Very well, it is decided," Their private council was interrupted as Tad spoke once again, alerting Yzak to the fact he had just missed the decision making part of this meeting, not that it was likely anything _he_ said would have been taken into account anyway. " The Joule Team will be dispatched upon the Silver Wind to try and retake the GENESIS, in order to aid in this operation they will be accompanied by Commander In Chief Le Creuset in the Akatsuki, the mobile suit retrieved from Artemis."

Dearka raised an eyebrow at that, before leaning towards Yzak again, "So it was for _him_ all along?"

"I had suspected as much," Yzak shrugged, trying to hide how ill at ease he truly felt. This all seemed just a little bit too well..._arranged_. The Akatsuki, possibly the only vessel able to safely approach the GENESIS, had been ordered found only shortly before the GENESIS was taken. Coincidence? He highly doubted that, and on top of that.. "Councilor Elsman?"

"Yes, Commander? Is there a problem?"

"Not with the mission, sir," Yzak stated levelly, ignoring Rau completely, though he knew, without even looking, that the man was watching him, "I merely wondered where the Chairman was. At a crucial time like this, I would have expected him to be on the front lines, or at least addressing the unease of the people. It seems like the PLANTs are almost being neglected in this case, I merely wondered what was wrong?"

"Wrong?" Tad fumbled for a moment, and it was clear he was fishing for excuses, "Er, nothing is wrong. The Chairman is merely occupied with other duties, yes, very important duties! In any case, you have your own duties, prepare to depart as soon as possible. We _cannot_ risk the PLANTs!"

Without waiting for a response either way the man turned quickly and marched off, Rau following only after offering the customary salute to the team.

"I think you upset him." Dearka chuckled as the entire team rose to leave, but his smile soon faded, "Damn. We are going on another suicide mission aren't we?"

"Is there ever any other mission we are sent on?" Heine smiled good naturedly.

"The stakes are much higher this time," Rey chose this moment to speak, "If we fail, the PLANTs will die."

"Thanks for reminding us," Shin remarked dryly, "No pressure."

"It is important we realize the stakes," Rey observed him calmly, "Otherwise we may not give it our best."

"What if they aren't intending to strike the PLANTs at all," Luna spoke up suddenly, "What if they are intending to end the ZAFT presence on Earth?"

Yzak paused mid stride, a frown forming on his face, realizing just how plausible an idea that was, before he shrugged and continued walking, "Either way, we have no choice. We must _not_ fail."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Helpless**

"How can that be possible?" if she had thought she was horrified about the use of slaves in constructing this weapon, Caggallie knew the thrill of pure terror now. The thought that _that_ super-weapon in space could be in the hands of somebody willing to fire it not even in battle was enough to frighten anyone, and, for once, she was not going to deny that it _did_ make her afraid. Not just the Earth, but the PLANTs and the moon colonies were threatened by this development, and the thought of countless lives being destroyed in seconds was enough to make her sick to the stomach, "How can anyone have boarded that thing? I thought ZAFT had it guarded!"

"I don't know how it happened," Athrun's eyes were focussed on the console as he tried to find other snippets of the message he had picked up, an earlier transmission between the Joule Team and the PLANTs, or even just to find further news. The message had been from a day or so ago, and it had not escaped either of their notice that it was possible this battle had already resolved itself, "I th...It hasn't been fired," his relief was visible as he slid down the seat slightly, reading the rest of whatever missive he had found, before glancing back up at her, "It seems the Joule Team is to be in charge of the mission to retrieve it, working directly under the command of Le Creuset. The orders..." he paused, frowning, "That's odd."

"What's odd?" No matter how she leaned over his shoulder she couldn't quite see the console, much to her chagrin, and she was forced to wait impatiently for his reply.

"The orders come through the Chief of Security _from_ Ezalia Joule, she's the deputy Chairman, but what does that mean?"

"The Chairman isn't in office any longer?" Caggallie found that hard to believe, there had been no news announcement, but what other explanation could there be? Unless... "You don't think he..."

"No," Athrun shook his head quickly, a little too quickly, she thought, though she did not comment, "That's not possible. The PLANTs wouldn't be able to keep something that big a secret. The question is, where _is_ he, then?"

"Actually," Caggallie corrected, lunging to grab a hold of the back of the seat as the vessel rumbled slightly, "The question I'd like answered is when are we going to get out of here! Can you fly a war cruiser like this?"

"Most ZAFT pilots are expected to be able to fly any vessel in an emergency," Athrun informed her lightly, frowning at the control panel, "On the other hand, it's not something I've ever actually _done_. I assume it'll be similar to flying any other large vessel."

"You _assume_?" Caggallie frowned, not liking the tentative sound of that word.

"We could always check out the mobile suits in the hangar, I guess," Athrun flicked a switch on the console, bringing up a view of the aforementioned chamber, and the two, shadowy shapes being stored there, "I'm sure the Minerva will survive in here, probably unharmed too, but if you want to get outside..."

"Say no more," Caggallie was already halfway towards the door, "Let's go see what these things are. They'd better be good, because I'm not going to sit here doing nothing whilst the others are fighting."

"Right," Athrun was only a step behind her, "On the other hand.."

"On the other hand what?" sensing something behind those words she paused in the doorway, turning back to met his serious gaze, "What is it?"

"GENESIS," he answered slowly, cautiously, "We can't do anything about that, Caggallie, no matter what we do it won't make a difference. We can't stop it from firing, we can't even help ZAFT regain it. There's absolutely _nothing_ we can do."

"Well, in that case," Caggallie shrugged, trying not to show how much that disturbed her. It would have been better not to _know_ what was going on in space rather than to know and yet be able to do nothing, and the thought of just sitting there, waiting, unable to even lift a finger to make a difference... "We'll just have to hope the Joule Team are as good as their boasting makes them, won't we?"

* * *

It was with great relief that Meyrin welcomed the arrival of Kisaki to rescue her and Nichol from their current predicament, and not just because she had absolutely no idea what was going on. Nichol was only a small boy, but he was still heavy enough when she had to almost wholly support his weight, and though it might have been wiser to remain within the control room she had been too scared when explosions had been going off close to their location. Apparently, a few mobile suits had been able to take off, and, unlike their allies, those vessels had had no qualms about fighting where there were undefended people. So she had made the decision to try and get them to a more secure location, one of those bunkers just a hundred meters or so away for example, before discovering, less than half way there, that this was perhaps not the wisest decision she had made.

Although he was doing his best to hide it it was fairly obvious that Nichol was in a great deal of pain, and between worrying over him and the battle going on about them Meyrin was certain she would not have been able to make the short journey to the Eternal, just now landing, alone, so to have Kisaki appear out of the blue like some hero out of the fairy tales was almost enough to make her want to hug the knight, though his usual frown quickly put that idea in the dust. Instead she meekly followed along behind as the big man lifted a protesting Nichol bodily off the ground, carrying him back to the Eternal with ease, though she had to almost run to keep up with his long strides. Once on board he took his charge directly to the infirmary, whilst Meyrin hurried to the bridge, briefly taking note of Lacus' position in the captain's chair, before sliding into the unoccupied radar position, blinking in disbelief at what showed on the screen.

"Ma'am!"

Lacus turned at her address, blue eyes narrowed slightly, "What is it?"

"Two new vessels have entered the battle field," Meyrin responded quickly, "There is no current data on them, except that it appears they are built of the same material as GENESIS."

"So that's what they were working on..." Lacus frowned, "Are they hostile?"

"They do not appear to be so," Meyrin responded, "I think...Wait! One of them is trying to reach us, identifying by the name of 'Saviour'."

"Put them through." Lacus instructed, turning to the screen, then giving a slight gasp when Caggallie's triumphant face appeared there.

"Oh, hi, Lacus. I was hoping to tease Kisaki." She looked a little disappointed, though Lacus laughed softly, replying with good humor.

"I am afraid he is engaged at present, Caggallie, but if you want I can fetch him when he is done. Where on earth did you find those suits?"

"Oh, they were at the bottom of the mine, along with a battle cruiser Athrun said was called the Minerva," Caggallie explained, "They are all really high tech, and should help a lot against ZAFT."

There was an underlying tone to her voice, as though there was something more she was not telling them, and she sounded distracted.

"Speaking of Athrun," Lacus frowned,"Where is he?"

"He's just helping Kira out," Caggallie informed her, not looking directly at the camera, "I...need to land," she sounded slightly embarrassed, "This thing is a lot harder to control than the Rouge and, er..."

"Of course, we'll be ready for you." Lacus nodded instantly, and Meyrin watched as another member of the crew relayed the message. The moment Caggallie's portrait had vanished from the screen, however, it was replaced instantly by Andrew's helmeted visage, the Commander raising a hand to offer a two fingered salute.

"Miss Clyne," he greeted the bridge smartly, "It is my pleasure to report our complete victory to you, Princess, would you care to survey your new kingdom?"

"Now, then, Commander," Lacus' tone was slightly chiding, and Meyrin tried to hide a giggle, amused by the man's antics, "This is hardly a kingdom, and no, I think I'll stay here. The Archangel is picking up the refugees as we speak, and I want to greet them personally. Oh, and Andrew?"

"Yes, Miss Lacus?"

"Tell Kira," Lacus began slowly, hesitating, before continuing slowly, "Tell Kira we've found his parents."

* * *

"Mom?"

Kira heard the slight tremble in his own voice as he approached the bed, barely aware of the light touch of his father's hand on his shoulder, his eyes focussed on that pale face alone. He had known, somewhere in the back of his mind, that the people here were being used as machines, treated as slaves by inhumane monsters, but never, never had he expected his mother to be one who suffered from that. She was alive, though, he reminded himself fretfully, even as he squeezed her hand in return for the slight tightening of fingers about his own. Just weak, terribly weak, but strong enough to recover, the doctors had been sure of that. She was alive, and she would stay that way, not like...Hesitantly he turned to glance over his shoulder, just now remembering he had not entered the infirmary alone.

Haunted green eyes met his for a single moment, containing more pain than he could ever begin to fathom, before Athrun dropped his gaze to the tiles of the floor, turning on his heel so quickly Kira didn't even have a _chance_ to speak, and fleeing the room. For a moment he blinked after his friend, before turning back to his father, the man's bewildered gaze no doubt mimicking his own.

"That was Athrun, right?" it was his parent who broke the silence, removing his hand from Kira's shoulder to place it on his wife's instead, "Zala's boy? Your friend from the moon? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Ten years," Kira agreed weakly, slowly releasing his mother's hand, now still in his grip, thanks to the sedatives the doctors had given her prior to his arrival. He was surprised his father remembered Athrun at all. "It's been ten years. That's a long time."

"So is several months," his father was looking him up and down now, a thoughtful look in his eyes, "What have you been up to, my boy? You look utterly dreadful!"

"_I_ look dreadful?" Kira was incredulous, "Dad, you..."

"Now don't go being insulting," his father raised a warning finger, "It's rude to comment on your parents' ages, you know! Hell, Kira, you don't know how good it is to see you safe and sound. Your mother and I were so worried, truth be told that was almost as bad as the other. The not knowing, the sense of not being able to even think of discovering what had happened. The sense of helplessness," shaking himself out of his dark thoughts Haruma smiled, clapping Kira on the shoulder with his other hand, before startling his son by drawing him into a firm embrace, emotion making his voice tremble ever so slightly. "But here you are, saving _us_! Why, oh why, did I even worry in the first place?"

"I'm glad you're safe too, dad," Kira returned the embrace fiercely, tears threatening to overwhelm, and not just because of the fact his parents had been returned to him. No, these tears were for those people like Caggallie and Athrun, people who would never have what they had lost returned, and who had to live with that grief every day. There was no way to express how grateful he was to have not experienced that pain, and it was _because_ of that knowledge that he pulled back, wiping his eyes before the tears could fall, before meeting the older man's curious gaze squarely, "Dad, there's something I have to do. Would you mind...?"

"Of course not," the answer was so instant that Kira had to wonder if Haruma had guessed what it was he was about, though his father could hardly have known the circumstances, making quick shooing motions he added, "Go do what you have to, boy. We'll be waiting for you when you're done."

* * *

He had had to get away, there was no other choice, not after seeing that woman, once nearly an aunt to him, lying there so pale, so weak, exactly the way _she_ had been. He was supposed to be there for Kira, who was clearly dismayed by his parent's condition, but he hadn't been strong enough to endure that familiarity, and it had been flee or break, because faced with what was in that room, he had come face to face with the realization that Kira had done what he had failed.

For Kira had saved his mother, when Athrun had been helpless.

The observation deck was unusually quiet, the members of the crew gathered elsewhere, and the deactivated engines lending a hushed air to the room that was not normally to be found here, mirrored by the relaxed gemstone studded waves outside, catching the sunlight that passed overhead, and creating a beautiful array of colors. That picture had not suited his mood, however, so he had turned his gaze downwards to the dark recesses of the floor, one hand resting lightly on the railing, whilst the other betrayed the rest of his posture, clenching and unclenching at his side as he fought to compose himself. This wasn't like him to lose control so easily, and he was slightly ashamed to be displaying such weakness.

The hiss of the door opening and shutting behind him alerted him to the fact he was no longer alone, though he did not acknowledge the presence of the other person, or even twitch, hoping they would leave. He should have known better, for when it came to either of the twins, them leaving when wanted to was a near impossibility.

"Athrun?"

Kira joined him by the window, amethyst eyes ignoring the view entirely, saving their concern for Athrun alone, something he would have gladly steered elsewhere. His friend should be with his family right now, not worrying about _him_.

"It's fine, Kira."

"It's not, though, is it?" Sometimes, Kira could be just as tenacious as his blond sibling, even if he lacked the forcefulness behind every question, and instead opted for a softer approach, "Athrun, I..."

"Nothing you can say will change it, Kira," he was aware there was a tightness to his voice that very nearly made that a snap, but he could not help it. This was not something he wanted to discuss, not with anyone, and not ever. "It's an irreversible event, something no one can change. I've..I've accepted that."

"Have you, Athrun?" Scratch that last thought. Kira's question was just as forceful as any Caggallie had given, not that he really understood where his friend was going with this. "Because it doesn't seem like it."

"What do you _expect_?" this time he had almost shouted, but not quite, turning to glare at his friend, at least, he supposed that was what they were. Friends? "Do you expect me to just walk away and pretend it never happened?"

"No," Kira shook his head, hands lifting in a familiar pacifying gesture, though they halted half way, one hand stretching out hesitantly, before finally settling on Athrun's shoulder, his expression entirely sober as he continued, "I want you to accept it wasn't your fault."

"I was _there_," He should have left it at that, should have let Kira's comment slide, as he had always done, and simply left his convictions unaired, but after seeing Kira's mother like that, it was as though something inside him had snapped, and before he could stop himself he had uttered the next few words, "I should have done _something_."

"You were eight, Athrun," And now Kira was using logic, damn him! That was supposed to be Athrun's job, to be the logical one, the one who could safely be relied on. He wasn't supposed to be this _weak_, and, truth be told, he wasn't used to _others _filling that role of the reasoning voice. "What could you have done?"

"Nothing," he laughed bitterly, turning away so he would not have to see his friend's face. He didn't want pity, all he really wanted was to be left alone, to compose himself, so that he could pretend everything was all right as he had always done, because that way, he could also pretend he didn't feel pain. "The story of my life."

"Athrun..." Kira's face and tone were both sympathetic and disapproving, but Athrun merely sighed, running hand through his hair as he turned back to the ocean outside, before uttering in a soft tone.

"Do you suppose there is a limit to how many times you can be utterly helpless?"

"That depends on your definition of helpless now, doesn't it?" the interjection had both of them spinning with a start, to meet the, for once, sober expression of one Mu La Flaga. Athrun hadn't even known the other pilot had landed, let alone come in search of them, so it was quite a shock to see him standing here now. "After all, as a soldier you must have learnt the motto we all come to hate. The one that has you choosing when you can make a difference, and when you can't. There are some things that nobody can change, but just because you can't change them doesn't make you helpless, or flawed," he added the second word before proceeding, "It merely makes you human."

"Some people don't even think we are," Athrun retorted, more out of a simple desire not to accept the man's words than anything else, "Human, I mean."

"...Erm," Mu shifted uncomfortably, "What are you, then? _Non-human_? Creepy monsters who crawled out of the closet when I wasn't looking?"

"_Monsters_?" Athrun stared at him in disbelief, his worries forgotten for the moment, his initial worries, anyway, replaced by the concern the man could possibly be insane, but his gaze was quickly torn to Kira, who had just barely suppressed a snort of laughter.

"Don't mind, Mu," he advised Athrun, after he had recovered somewhat, "Like I already told Nichol, he has a reputation for being a bit of a nutter."


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Regrets**

Caggallie stood beside Lacus, in between Councilor Amalfi and Kisaki, unable to keep the slight twinge of envy from crawling in the pit of her stomach, along with an earnest longing, as she witnessed the numerous, joyous family reunions taking place aboard the Archangel. Every single one of the young volunteers' parents had been found safe and sound, including Kira's parents, most of them in a reasonable state of health, and whilst she was happy for them, and relieved most of her people had survived their ordeal, Caggallie could not help but remember that her own family would never be coming back, no matter how much she yearned for it. It was a sad revelation that brought tears to her eyes, and she hurriedly tried to wipe them away.

"You okay?" Lacus touched her lightly on the arm, her blue eyes showing only understanding, not condemnation.

"Yeah," Caggallie sighed slightly, feeling selfish beneath that non judgmental gaze. Who was she to grudge these others their happiness? "I'm okay."

"I'm sure your father would be proud of you," Yuri Amalfi's sudden proclamation took her by surprise, and Caggallie glanced at him in astonishment. She had not even known the two men knew each other, but there was that tinge of familiarity in the man's voice that suggested otherwise, "You have accomplished a great deal, Caggallie, he would be so proud."

"T-thank you," it was a real effort to prevent herself from breaking down then and there, remembering how her father had been so heartbreakingly torn away from her, but she knew the Councilor was right. Her father _would_ have been proud of all she had accomplished, and she had tried her best to follow the example he had set, even though it had been an example taken away from her early in life. She had tried to protect Orb, and though she had failed, she had stood by her beliefs without flinching, and that, as he had told her again and again, was what was most important.

Allowing her gaze to wonder over those present Caggallie let her thoughts switch back to the other thing on her mind, or more specifically, Athrun. She had not seen him since she landed, though she knew he was on board the Archangel somewhere, most likely with Kira, so she should not be worried. Should not be, but was. She could not explain that niggling feeling in the back of her mind, like there was something she should know that she did not, and for now, focussing on that was enough to distract her from her own feelings of regret. She was beginning to feel like the ZAFT pilot's keeper, the way she always ended up looking out for him, and she was yet to discover whether that was bad thing. Not that, if Athrun were to show up, she would be any better off. Getting him to talk was like trying to draw blood from a cold stone, in fact drawing blood from an inanimate object would probably be easier! Unconsciously clenching her fists she let out a low growl, recalling herself quickly when she heard Mirriallia's cheerful voice.

"Are you okay, Caggallie?"

She forced a smile onto her face as she turned to greet the other girl, not wanting to admit she had been thinking of the young Coordinator. Mirriallia _had_ detached herself from her parents to come and speak with her as well, so she owed her for that, "Yeah, I'm fine. How's Nichol?"

"The doctors say he'll be all right, though Meyrin is staying with him for now," She paused a moment, casting Caggallie a sidelong glance, "You looked pretty angry there for a while, Caggallie, are you thinking about our resident troublemaker again?"

"Resident troublemaker?" she glanced at Miri in surprise, but the brunette simply shrugged, taking a hold of the other girl's arm as she leant in in a conspirital manner.

"Don't you know? It's not that he causes trouble, it's that trouble seems to follow him. We've been investigating the phenomena and..."

"Tolle has been wearing off on you," Caggallie remarked dryly, but was unable to keep back her laugh, "I take it we're talking about Athrun here, then?"

"You got it," Miri grinned back cheerfully, "I wouldn't worry about him too much, Caggallie, he's a Coordinator, and old enough to look after himself."

"Yeah, right," Caggallie replied with a hint of sarcasm, "This is the guy who committed suicide to save his _enemy_."

"Okay, I'll admit," Miri rubbed the back of her head sheepishly,"You _do_ have a point."

"I always do," Caggallie said brightly, already beginning to feel better. This is what she needed, to interact with other people, and she could not believe she had been blind to that for so long, "By the way, have you seen Kira around?"

"He's with his parents, I think," Miri offered at once, "His mom was in rough shape."

"She'll be all right, though, won't she?" Caggallie inquired anxiously, letting out a breath of relief when Miri gave a quick nod.

"A few days of rest and she should be as right as rain," she stated cheerfully, "Can you believe things turned out so well?"

"No, I can't," Caggallie answered truthfully, letting out a deep sigh, "Think that makes me a pessimist?"

Mirriallia did not get a chance to reply, however, as Caggallie caught sight of a certain person on the other side of the hangar and quickly excused herself, leaving the bewildered brunette behind her as she dashed across the space between them, calling out as soon as she was within hearing, "Miss Azrael!"

Sarah Azrael paused midstride in her attempt to sneak by unnoticed, she did that all the time now, and not because she was trying to spy, but because she simply did not _want_ to be noticed. Caggallie supposed it had something to do with having been exposed, but she had never really given serious thought to it, so it could have been any number of reasons. Sarah turned to face her as she approached, speaking with the utmost respect, "Yes, Representative Attha?"

Caggallie paused in front of her, "I need to speak with you, about..."

"My brother?" Sarah raised an eyebrow, "You want to know if he will try anything?"

"Um, yeah, if you wouldn't mind, Miss Az..."

"It's Natarle," The older woman waved a hand, "I did change my name for more reasons than just to be a spy, I would prefer not to be associated with Muruta." she paused, looking about and making sure they were alone, before turning back to Caggallie, "Now, what did you want to know?"

* * *

Mu had to hand it to the young pilots he served beside, they were really quite an amazing bunch, and not just because they were Coordinators. No, he could not even attribute a small part of it to that, because he was not talking about abilities here, but the core personality of each and every one of these unique individuals. Standing in the doorway to the infirmary room now, and watching as Kira interacted with his father and sickly mother, he could not help the smile that came to his lips, merely watching that kid act in a way that was normal for someone his age. Seeing him there, in that setting, reminded him just how much Kira had seen at such a young age, and he found himself in awe of how well the kid had handled it. How all of them had handled it. It wasn't a fair hand the world had dealt them, but they had all coped with it extremely well, and where they stumbled, as an adult, even if some people doubted his right to claim that title, it was his task to set them right. Or, if that failed, to at least provide a light at the end of the tunnel. With that in mind he turned to glance at the youth standing beside him, a slightly troubled expression on Athrun's usually calm face as he watched the events unfolding in the room.

"Are you okay?"

The dark haired boy jumped when he laid a hand on that still-too-thin shoulder, but recovered quickly enough to show no real outward sign other than the twitch of muscles beneath his hand. Mu had been amazed at how quickly the young Coordinator had healed from such life threatening injuries, until, that is, the Doctor had told him Athrun was actually operating with wounds still intact. That factor had slowed down a recovery process that would have been completed right about now, and though there was no life threatening symptoms for the moment, it would be a while before the boy reached his peak again, simply because he hadn't been able to lie in a medbay for a few extra days. The strains of the recent past probably didn't help with that, either, so it was no wonder the kid was looking closer to a walking shadow than a human being.

"I'm fine."

He could have almost quoted those words before they were voiced, because he had heard them time and time again in response to various inquiries by many different individuals during the two months prior to Kira's rescue. He had never once been on the receiving end of them before, but now he believed he might have been able to understand the frustration of those other individuals who had.

"Did you know pigs fly as well?"

The look Athrun gave him was far from flattering, perhaps the darkest look he had ever seen the youth direct at a person, which made the comment all the more worth it, anything to break through that pristine mask. For him, as a soldier, seeing masked faces that showed no expression was not an irregular occurrence, but to see it on someone so young, well, that was frightening.

"Your mother was one of those assassinated, wasn't she?"

_Wrong subject_. Was the first thought that occurred to mind when he felt the muscles tense to rock hard stiffness beneath his hand, but after a moment, and a deep breath, they relaxed, even if the only answer was a slight nod.

"You know Representative Attha, and the Earth Alliance command, were both assassinated surrounded by their full bodyguard squadrons?"

"I...didn't know that." It was a slow admission, which led him to believe the boy already knew where this conversation was going. To his mind this was a good thing, it would make the conversation go that much easier.

"I would have been pretty impressed if an eight year old kid, Coordinator or not, could stop them."

"I know that! I do," Athrun nodded jerkily, "But..."

"And here comes the inevitable but," Mu sighed, raking a hand through his blond locks, before continuing sincerely, "I know what you mean, kid. Even when we know there is absolutely nothing we could have done we still have to ask why. Why did it have to happen? Why couldn't we do anything? Why would anyone do something like this? The questions go in circles, and I've begun to wonder if 'Why?' is one of those questions that doesn't have an answer."

"You've lost someone?" Those green eyes could be frighteningly intense when they focussed themselves on you fully, but Mu ignored that irrational thought, and replied meekly.

"How could you tell? In actual fact, most of the people on this ship have, the original crew, in any case. The questioning of what you could have done only gets worse when you have power and _still_ can't do anything."

"So? What did you do?" There was a sincere yearning for a response on that face now, and Mu wondered if he was digging himself into a hole too deep to escape from. He was a soldier, and had he still been in the Earth Forces he would have been berating himself for getting involved with these youngsters. But, he wasn't in the Earth Forces, and with these young people carrying the hope of the future on their shoulders, it was the least he could do to lighten that load. Besides, he had a feeling not many people had taken the time to offer comfort to this young man.

"I kept on living," he remarked with only a slight trace of the bitterness he felt, "It's the only thing you can do, and, if the people you've lost could still tell you what they wanted, I've no doubt they'd say the same thing. Dwelling in the past destroys a person, though I'm sure you know that well enough already. I'm not saying the pain will ever go away, it doesn't, but you can learn to live with it, and live happily, it just takes time."

"Ten years isn't enough?"

"I'll answer that, only if you answer mine first," he met the younger pilot's gaze squarely before proceeding, "For all of those ten years, did you ever, even once, just allow yourself to stop a moment and _grieve_?"

Athrun's stricken expression was answer enough, and Mu was about to add to that, when he was forced to cut himself off, lunging to grab a hold of the Coordinator's arm as he swayed.

"Whoa there, kid! Are you okay?"

"I'm all right," looking slightly bewildered Athrun straightened with an obvious effort, aware he had drawn the attention of Kira as well, the other boy already halfway to his feet, "I'm just tired."

"Tired?" Mu scowled, not releasing his grip, or even loosening it. Athrun still felt unsteady on his feet, and taking a closer look at the boy's drawn features, it was not hard to see why. He knew things had been hectic lately, and now that he thought about it he doubted Athrun, or any of the others who had rescued Kira, had slept since the night before they left. That was a long time to go without rest, particularly for someone still recovering from a near death experience. "More like exhausted! When was the last time you _slept_? Or ate, for that matter?"

"Uh..."

"Just as I thought," Mu nodded triumphantly, joining Kira in turning his eyes skyward, before marching out of the room, dragging his unwillingly companion with him, "You're coming with me."

"Coming with you _where_...And I _can _walk myself you know!"

"Sure you can," Mu flashed the wholly unamused boy a grin, ignoring the irritation in the flustered comment, "And we're _going_ to find a bed."

* * *

"If you think Muruta is not to be trusted you are most definitely correct," Natarle spoke as the two woman strode down the boarding ramp between the Archangel and the Eternal, heading for yet another meeting over which the songstress would preside, only this meeting might have more stakes behind it than any other. They now had to decide what to do about GENESIS, or, to begin with, decide if there was anything they _could_ do. "I know for a fact that every one of the mobile suits he gave you are set up with a self destruct device he can activate whenever he feels like it."

Caggallie paled, drawn from her thoughts by the confident proclamation, "You serious?"

"Absolutely," Natarle nodded, "I would have told you before, but I knew Muruta would do nothing until he had got what he wanted."

"Which is?"

"The Minerva, of course," Natarle replied, then in response to Caggallie's startled look she proceeded, "Yes, he knew of it. He intended to use Orb all along, once you had gotten the new mobile suits and vessel for him he would have self destructed the suits at an opportune time, killing most of the officers on board, and, if possible, you as well."

"I'd better have them taken off immediately!" Caggallie turned to go do just that, but Natarle stopped her immediately.

"No need. All the mobile suits are still outside. I advised Lieutenant La Flaga it was probably not a safe idea to bring them aboard, and there were plenty of enemy vessels to replace them."

Caggallie gazed at the dark haired woman curiously, unable to stop herself from asking the question lingering on her mind, "Why are you helping us?"

"I may dislike Orb," Natarle replied levelly, "I will not lie and say I like the country, but I hate my brother far more than I do you." Caggallie was unsure how to take this speech, so Natarle continued, smiling slightly, "I always thought Murrue Ramius was an awkward choice for captain, she was kind, lenient, and, in my opinion, far too gullible. Her Lieutenant was a cheek, stretching the rules at every possibility and she allowed it. However, one of the things she told me has stuck with me ever since she said it, I hate her for it, but I cannot help it, the words have not left my mind."

"And which are they?" Caggallie could not resist, this woman was beginning to intrigue her, and she had begun to realize there was more to Natarle, or Sarah, than any of them had at first assumed. They had all decided in their minds she was just an Earth Forces lackey scared out of her wits and cooperating, but this woman was not scared, and she most certainly was not cooperating because she knew there would be consequences if she didn't.

"She told me Orb was a country with principles that were worth defending, I told her that may be so, but it was not our duty to do so. She agreed that it could be the case, but said she could not rest easy with herself if she allowed it to fall. I may not like Orb, but I agree with her opinion that it is a principled nation. When the world leaders were being assassinated, Orb did not jump to the general conclusion and blame the other two sides. That is my reason for helping you now, I thought you might like to hear."

"Hmm," Caggallie ran a hand through her still tinged red locks thoughtfully, "You are one of the most confusing people I have ever met, but thanks for supporting Orb. Is there anything else your brother might try?"

"I know he was interested in GENESIS," Natarle informed her, "But I do not know how far that interest goes. I cannot say what his next move will be, he has a habit of being both unpredictable, clever, and totally rash at the same time."

"Well, thank you for telling me all this," Caggallie could not really think of anything else to say, not when the woman had been so forthcoming, "I really appreciate it."

"There is...one more thing."

"What is it?" Caggallie asked, anxious as to what should make the other hesitate.

"Muruta is _not_ a smart individual, believe me, I grew up with him, and I know it well enough. However, recently, there have been some of his actions that have been so strategic not even his Generals could have convinced him to make them, but he did. Mark my words, someone else is pulling the strings here."

"Durandal?" Caggallie wondered aloud, but Natarle could only shrug.

"I don't know," she admitted, "But if I had to guess, he _would_ be my first choice."

* * *

Kira leant on the railing, letting the breeze shift his hair slightly as he stared out at the ocean all about them, trying to let the tranquil setting mould his inner self to a similar peacefulness, with very little success. As soon as everything within the prison they could possibly require or want had been removed the Archangel and Eternal were both to make for their home base, the Hawk's hotel, but before then Lacus wished to hold a council of war, something he had no desire to attend, so he had made the notable decision to be absent, hiding himself away where he could at least attempt to sort out his thoughts. So many things were troubling him right now it would have been hard to pinpoint a particular catalyst, all he knew was that he felt sick to his stomach, and he did not know why.

"My, we are thoughtful this evening!"

He did not need to turn around to see who it was, if her voice was not enough the bouncing pink mechanism which tried to leave a permanent imprint in his face was, though he greeted her with genuine warmth, "Hey, Lacus. Are you all done, then?"

"Yes, we're preparing to head out now. I'm not disturbing you, am I?" Catching Haro in her hands she strode across until she stood beside him, watching as he shook his head before continuing, "I thought you would still be with your parents, what are you doing up here?"

"Thinking and relaxing."

"Thinking...about Athrun, by any chance?"

Kira sighed, turning around and leaning his back against the railings, "That's a part of it, yeah..."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Yes and no," Kira frowned, trying to avoid the bright blue of her beautiful eyes, "It's complicated because...well, it partly concerns you."

"Me?" Lacus regarded him seriously, "Please, Kira, do not worry about my feelings, just tell me what you honestly think."

"I'm not sure what I honestly think," Kira sighed, "At first I, being very naive, thought things would work out on their own. The conversation I had with Athrun coming back from the PLANTs proved that supposition false, but, since then things have been so erratic. Sometimes, it still feels like we're friends, but other times I can't understand him at all, and...and..."

"It's going to take time," Lacus laid a hand on his arm, stilling him with that simple motion, "You have to realize that, Kira."

"I really think he didn't want to let you go," Kira paused, turning to look at her, "Maybe, that is why he is avoiding me."

Lacus dropped her head so he could not see her face before replying, something that irritated him, for her expression could say more than any words, "Athrun did love me," She stated softly, "But, I am not sure if it was in that way."

"What do you mean?"

Lacus lifted her eyes to meet his own, speaking with a sense of gravity he could not dismiss, even had he wanted to, "I was his solace, the reasoning voice, and the person he came to when he was troubled. In every sense I was more of a second _mother_ than a fiancee. If Athrun were to step back and seriously look at his feelings, he might realize this, he may of already, I think you are missing the main problem here."

"What is that?" Kira asked curiously, turning to face her fully, and trying not to drown in that sky-blue gaze.

"Athrun's trust has been shaken," Lacus replied, "In you, in me, and even in Nichol. All three of us did something he did not expect, he could not understand our reasoning, and ended up getting hurt, emotionally and physically, because of it. Athrun, despite all appearances, is very insecure. His father brought him up in a way which taught him to rely on others to plan out his life, everything set in black and white, the decisions out of his hands, so he only has to act, not decide. Take that security away from him, and he's lost. That is where we come in, we have just become another thing that cannot be depended upon, and just like everything else undependable, we have been locked out. It may have been different when you knew him, but Athrun is slow to trust, and to have it broken will have only made him more defensive, whether he realizes it or not."

She paused, a smile lighting her lips, "In spite of this, however, the old Athrun still shines through. He considered yours and my happiness above his own, knowing I would be happier if he ended our engagement. It is the mark of a true friend, and shows that, even if he does not trust us fully, he still considers us as his friends. So, be patient, Kira, things will work out in the end."

"He should learn to look out for himself," Kira found himself smiling, "Really."

"I know," Lacus nodded, her expression serious once again, "But I am afraid in that area he is lacking, and that is why he needs his friends. We just have to be patient, Kira, he will come back to us when he is ready."


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Meltdown**

The Captain's position was normally on the bridge, in the seat of command, in control, shouting battle orders and being responsible for the dozens of lives aboard the vessel. It was the Captain's role to be leader, to _be_ the one responsible, but in the times of quiet, when the action lulled into silence, it was nice to escape for a moment. Murrue had done it for so long she could not remember when the habit had started, when she had begun to creep off to hide in her darkened quarters, reading, sleeping, or even just thinking in the breathtaking silence. It had been such a long time ago, the habit so set she saw it as nothing new, though the fact her attempts at solitude had recently begun to be regularly interrupted _was_ a new development, and one she could not quite bring herself to say she disliked.

"There you are."

She glanced up at being addressed, turning away from the information she had been reading and abruptly jerking back as she found herself only inches away from his face, the rogue having snuck up on her whilst she was occupied, "What did I miss?"

"Everything," shutting down the console she rose from her seat, stretching lightly, before turning back to him, "Where were you?"

"Dealing with the most stubborn individual you'll ever meet," Mu grinned incorrigibly, lazily wrapping an arm about her shoulders, something she frowned at, if half heartedly, but did not protest aloud. Sometimes, it was a little comforting to drop the captain's facade she had never worn well to begin with. "Now, what _did_ I miss?"

"We're returning to the Hawk residence," Sighing pensively she explained to him the decisions that had been made during their meeting, "After what Natarle told us about Muruta's plans for the Minerva we can't risk contacting them again, so we're going to be on our own. Members of the Clyne Faction will remain here in their mobile suits to defend the base until we've had time to get back to the Hawk residence and pick up the shuttle there, then we'll return to the base and pick up the Minerva to bring it back to our hangar as well. Kira and a few others are expected to escort the shuttle that will take the bridge crew, including myself and you, to the base, but the injured and Mr. Clyne will remain at the home base to keep an eye on the whole GENESIS situation."

"Has there been any update on that?" he frowned when she moved subtly out of his embrace, but did not try and repeat the gesture as she placed herself opposite him, meeting his gaze squarely as she leant back against her desk, "Has ZAFT made a move?"

"They're still in the preparatory stages, so far as we can tell," Murrue resisted an urge to sigh again, or simply massage her temples, knowing full well she was letting the stress of all this to get to her. The line they were walking was getting thinner and thinner, and she did not know how much longer they could keep this up. It was fairly obvious the entire crew was exhausted, many of them stretched to the limit, but there was little chance any of them would be able to rest in the near future. "There are rumors of trouble brewing in the PLANTs though, citizen discontent, or something like that. It could get nasty, and even Siegel is worried."

"Why is it that things always happen where we can't do anything about them?" Mu grumbled, folding his arms sulkily.

"We may still be able to do something yet," she offered, even if she felt the same way. There was so much going on, and yet they really didn't know _anything_, not yet. It was frustrating, but if they moved too swiftly they could end up blowing their cover, and that wouldn't help _anyone_, least of all themselves. "But, only once we know what is going on. Siegel is going to try and find enough members within the Clyne Faction to pilot the Minerva, though it will be a long shot, then we'll take all four ships into space. We can hide out in the neutral port of Copernicus, ZAFT isn't likely to look there, and neither are the Earth Forces. From there we'll be close enough to at least know a little more of what is going on."

"Go, go, go, then," Mu grinned, a touch of his old humor back, "No rest for the wicked, huh?"

"Unfortunately," she exhaled deeply, before tactfully changing the subject, "How are Kira and the others holding up?"

"Actually, they all seemed pretty cheerful last I saw them," Mu took two steps forward and seated himself in her chair without so much as a 'by your leave', she ignored that, merely waiting for something that might possibly brighten her day, "Reunited with their parents...I guess I never really thought about how hard it was on them, constantly worry like they must have been. They're all pretty amazing people, really. That young kid, Amalfi's son, took a bullet, but they think he'll be all right given a few days to recuperate, and little Meyrin is sticking pretty close to his side. They'll be amongst those left behind, I think, and probably the other ZAFT pilot as well. Kid's like a machine, just keeps going and going until the batteries run flat."

"I think we're all feeling a bit like that right now," Murrue could easily sympathize, and she kept her tone of voice soft as she responded, "Miss Clyne is going to go see Marchio upon our return, with Andrew and Martin, and Representative Attha as well. They're hoping he'll have some more news on what the situation is in the PLANTs, or even here on Earth. It's strange, we've won a great victory, but I don't think we are much further forward than we were before. We're still weak, and ZAFT could crush us within seconds if they ever found us."

"Oh, we're further forward all right," Mu stiffened, sitting up straighter, a frown forming on his face, "We _are_ making a difference, a big one, you just...can't see it yet."

"I hope you're right," she smiled at him weakly in response, "Because, otherwise, this could be one very short uprising."

"Of course I'm right," Mu declared pompously, "I'm the man who makes the impossible possible!"

* * *

Caggallie had never felt quite so alone in her life, trudging down the empty hallways of the Archangel, knowing Kira had Lacus there to comfort him, the others their parents, heck, Nichol even had _Meyrin_, but _she_ was alone, unless one counted Kisaki, something she was more than a little reluctant to do. It was times like these that she missed Ahmed, teasing, horribly spoilt brat that he was he had been a good friend, right up until that moment he had taken a bullet, for _her_. It hadn't really been a conscious action on his part, in fact it had been due to ill aim on the sniper's to be truthful, but it had still been Ahmed who died, and that was something she had not been able to forgive herself for for some time. As a result she had sealed herself off from the world, remaining as distant from those her own age as possible. She had her bodyguards, the servants, the people who would do whatever she asked of them, but she did not have friends, because having friends meant putting them in danger.

What she had not realized at the time was what consequences those actions had had for her.

She had stopped laughing, crying, even _feeling_,living her life was just another duty she paid to the people of Orb. She had begun to see things objectively, rather than emotionally, and the only true desire of her own she allowed to enter her mind was that of vengeance, because it helped her in her other goals, that drive. It had not been until that ill fated battle, and the not so ill fated meeting on the island, that her shield had shattered, because Kira's death had cracked it, and it had been decimated completely by a broken young man who had been little more than a stranger to her then. That was when she had first allowed herself to accept she cared again, when she allowed herself to _begin _to care, and of all the people to have chosen as the first she would let herself care for, it had had to be a soldier from the other side.

A soldier with an uncanny knack for getting into trouble, no less, as well as being remarkably insightful when it came to her, and who happened to look adorably sweet when asleep.

_I did _NOT_ just think that!_

She clamped down on that thought as hard as she hit the button to close the door, standing for a moment to gather her wits, wits she had scattered herself, before moving further into the room. Caggallie Yula Attha _did not_ think those kinds of things, she was just tired, that _must_ be it. Though she doubted that would count as an explanation for why she was creeping around in the fool's bedroom whilst he was asleep, even if she could blame it for not coming to the realization that had brought her here in the first place within the short amount of time it should have taken. Because, if seeing all those reunions had made _her_ think about her parents, it had no doubt had a similar effect on Athrun. She should have known that, but it was not until Mu mentioned it to her on his way to search for the captain, at the same time he had told her the idiot had driven himself to a state of exhaustion, that she had even _thought_ about.

So if she was honest it was guilt that had brought her here, guilt and worry, because she had not been joking when she had told Nichol Athrun would not be careful. It was his most major flaw, his incapability to look out for _himself_, and she had to wonder how he had lasted as long as he had in the army without someone keeping an eye on him. Or perhaps that had been Lacus' task, a role _he_ would not allow her to fill anymore, and one Caggallie had simply fallen into, without any conscious decision. She had known he was not sleeping well, if ever, and she had also known he had left the infirmary much too soon, but she had raised no objections at the time because she had realized the necessity, as well as the fact she doubted she could _make_ him stay there. There had been no time prior to Kira's rescue for a break, and no time afterwards either, she should have known it would catch up on him, especially since she felt like lying down and having a good long nap herself right now.

With a start she realized she had knelt at the side of the bed, one hand half stretched out to brush away the bangs that overshadowed restless eyelids. For a moment she remained frozen in place, uncertain whether to go forward or back, before at last allowing her instincts to guide her she tentatively brushed the stray locks of hair back, resting her hand lightly against the side of his face. He did not so much as stir at her touch, lost deep in an exhausted slumber, and she mentally found herself comparing that to Kira, who was an infamously light sleeper, so much so it was almost impossible to sneak up on him whilst he was asleep. She had learnt _that_ the hard way, which was why she was so much more cautious this time, though, from what Mu had said, Athrun wouldn't have noticed a bomb going off in the next room right now, let alone her feather light touch.

But, though he was oblivious to the outside world, Athrun was not so deep in slumber to be free of dreams, and she could feel him twitching minutely beneath her hand, the frown on his face enough suggestion that his sleep was not entirely restful. She knew the feeling all too well, how many times had she woken screaming after her father's death? Or after Ahmed's? Quietly she transferred her hand from his cheek to the top of his head, stroking her hand gently over the satiny, blue locks, until at least a little of the tension had left his face. It was the comfort nobody had been able to offer her when she needed it, mostly because she would not allow it, and so she knew how earnestly one could desire it.

Sighing slightly she folded her other arm on the edge of the mattress, resting her forehead in the crook of her elbow, before switching her chin to a similar position. They would be back in Orb within the hour, and once they were there she had agreed to accompany Lacus to go see Marchio, more because she was desperate for something to do than anything else. Sitting still was what set her on edge, so she had to keep working, keep _doing_, and _try_ not to think about that giant cannon in space that could blow them all away in a second.

Because thinking of things like that was enough to give _anyone_ nightmares.

* * *

Lunamaria viewed the small portion of space visible through the window with little interest, unable to make her mind fully focus on anything, much less the scenery. They had already departed from the PLANTs, but the Silver Wind had docked at Boaz, one of ZAFT's space forts, in order to plan their attack strategy. If the truth be known she did not believe her superiors had any idea of how to reclaim the fortress, beyond Rau flying in alone, seeing as he was the only one who could not be shot down, and she could not blame them. The thing was not only a formidable cannon, it also possessed Anti-mobile suit guns, rockets, and various other instruments she could not begin to name. In order to successfully land on the thing you would need tremendous skill, an excellent ship, and a good deal of luck. They all had their fair share of that, but when even Le Creuset refused to go in until the Akatsuki's capabilities had been fully tested, it was not surprising no one else could come up with an idea.

"What are you thinking about?"

Luna stiffened immediately at the familiar voice, considering just ignoring the question. Ever since their conversation in the PLANTs she had been angry at Shin, especially seeing as he made no attempt to apologize, but had instead been more obnoxious than ever. Considering he had been born on Earth, even if he hadn't grown up there, one would think he might have had a little more respect for the people there than he did, but whatever feelings he might have had for the homeland had been destroyed the same day his family was on the Seventh Colony. He had been bitter when Luna met him at the Academy, and he was still bitter now. She had hoped that would wear off eventually, the very reason she had befriended the young pilot, realizing how alone he was, but as time passed it seemed Shin was determined not to forgive or forget, and eventually, she was sure that attitude would kill him.

"Nothing." The reply was curt, and Shin frowned, clearly annoyed at her response.

"Commander and the Captain are locked up in the bridge, I wonder how they plan to get ZAFT out of this one?"

"You don't agree with Yzak, do you?" Lunamaria replied, daring to use their commander's first name. Dearka used it, and he was still a lower rank, besides, it wasn't as if she was saying it to his face.

Shin frowned, "I don't believe it is a soldier's job to meddle in politics," He replied slowly, "We have our orders. If the commander chooses to disobey them he is just as much a traitor as the Amalfis."

"Did you ever meet Nichol Amalfi?" Luna turned to look at him, her expression unreadable. She already knew the answer to that, Shin had not come to the Academy till a year after her and Rey, so Nichol had been gone already.

"N-no." Shin scowled, clearly thrown by the unexpected remark, "Why does that matter?"

Luna sighed slightly, shaking her head, "He was one of the seniors at the academy I attended. People used to like him because he was very kind, not at all what you would expect from a soldier. Even after he was picked out as a red elite he was not presumptuous. He was friends with practically everybody, a lot like Lacus Clyne."

"So you're trying to say just because people liked them it's okay what they did?"

Luna was about to reply when another voice broke into their conversation, delivering a far better answer than she could have ever hoped to.

"I believe you misinterpreted Miss Hawk. The impression she was trying to convey is that two people so trusted and loved surely could not be so wrong in their understanding of the situation. After all, do you respect someone who is an imbecile?"

Lunamaria smiled gratefully as Rey stepped into the room, it was one of the longest speeches he had made, and it had been in her support.

"I still don't get it," Shin scratched his head, not feeling quite up to entering an argument with Rey. Luna did not blame him, for she had been on the other end of the blond boy's words one time too many herself, and she knew he had an uncanny way of making everything you said sound silly, "What if they were just putting up a front?"

"Who can honestly deceive that many people, Shin?" Luna sighed in exasperation, "If you're going to keep arguing can you just leave? I came here to think, not to squabble."

Shin grinned slightly, "But you said you were thinking about nothing."

"Oh, go away!" Thoroughly annoyed by now Luna decided to ignore him, turning back to the window into outer space and folding her arms across her chest in a dismissive gesture. Seeing this Shin eventually left her alone, Rey watching him go, before moving to take up a seat in the corner, reading a book quietly.

"Thanks."

"Hmm?" He looked up at her questioningly.

"Shin can be a real pain," Luna growled, venting her frustration for the younger pilot in her tone of voice,"Thanks for outsmarting him."

"You're welcome."

Turning away from the window Luna walked across and sat down opposite the blond, "What do _you_ think of Yzak's declaration? I mean, in all technically it could be considered treason."

"It could also be called common sense," Rey replied calmly, "Le Creuset is clearly intent on destroying the Earth, the PLANTs may be independent, but to destroy the home world would clearly be a foolish move, the PLANTs are not dependable, and the Earth has many things the PLANTs do not."

Lunamaria face had gone from interested to completely horrified, "You think he is _really_ going to destroy the world?"

"It seems that way."

"If that is the case, why are we helping by stopping the downfall of ZAFT?"

"Because if we allow someone to hijack GENESIS the PLANTs,and possibly the Earth, will die anyway."

"Oh," She paused, a thoughtful frown pasted across her face, before changing the subject, "I wonder what the Commander is planning, the Earth Forces must be mad to try such a thing!"

"I don't think the Earth Forces are behind it." Rey commented quietly, despairing of being able to read it he laid his book aside, diverting his attention fully to the conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Rey paused, and she could almost see the gears working in his head. From experience she knew he liked to think things over carefully before ever making a decision, at least, when engaged in verbal sparring. Battle was a different matter, where decisions were lightning quick, almost instinctive. She admired that, even if she was a little envious, so she waited patiently for him to finish his thoughts. "After such an unexpected and crushing defeat, do you really think the Earth Forces would have had the capabilities to do such a thing?"

"I...guess not."

"Furthermore, in order to take the GENESIS, which, despite Rau Le Creuset's proclamations, was actually relatively well guarded, that person would have to have a relatively detailed description of the security layout and ZAFT codes. I think it is an inside job."

Luna stared at him, unable to quite comprehend what he was getting at,"An inside job?"

"Exactly, and Rau Le Creuset is most likely at the heart of it."

"W-what are you talking about?" Lunamaria gaped at him, sure the pressure was getting to him. That wasn't possible! Rau was the Commander in Chief of the ZAFT forces, why in the world would _he_ help someone _else_ hijack the GENESIS? It didn't make any sense whatsoever!

"I have my own reasons for believing his involvement, you will have to wait and see if I am right."

"Oh." Luna lapsed back into silence, slightly disturbed by the entire ordeal, though her silence did not last long as Heine entered the room.

"You guys heard the news?" He asked softly, his expression grim as he strode across to join them.

"What news?" Luna asked as Rey retrieved his book, though it went unread as Heine replied darkly.

"There's been a revolt in the PLANTs, almost a revolution, they're saying. The Supreme Council is being hunted down, and it's members have gone into hiding. The military has been overpowered by the citizens, and most people involved in the forces are fleeing to ZAFTs bases on the moon. It's a complete meltdown!"

"And Earth?" How Rey could remain objective in the face of such news was beyond Luna, for she herself felt robbed of the ability to speak at all.

"I don't know, yet," Heine shook his head, "So far as I know the military is still in control down there, and there are even some rumors that's where the Chairman is. Maybe, if he is, there's some semblance of control, but otherwise..." he shrugged helplessly, clearly at a loss for words.

"In other words we are completely screwed," Dearka supplied, stepping within the room, his eyes drifting briefly from one of them to another, before frowning he demanded, "Hey, where's the other one?"

"Shin's in his quarters," Luna offered at once, "Shall I get him?"

"No, please don't," Dearka waved off her offer, "I just wanted to make sure he was still here."

"Still _here_?" Rey queried, now on his feet and moving so that he was in front of Luna, "What exactly is going on, Captain?"

"Don't ask me!" Dearka raised his hands defensively, "I wouldn't have a clue! All I know is that the Commander In Chief has pulled a vanishing act, and he's taken the Akatsuki with him."

* * *

It was quiet when he woke, suspiciously so, and for several moments he simply lay still, listening intently, and trying to figure out why he couldn't reconnect the ceiling he had woken to the same one he had last seen before going to sleep. It took several moments for his sleep laden mind to figure out that was because it _wasn't, _but not much more for the embarrassment that someone had actually _carried_ him from the Archangel back to the Hawk Hotel lounge without him _noticing _to kick in. He must have been wearier than he thought, but it was still not something he considered acceptable. They could have at least woken him and let him _walk_ back, though he had not been taken upstairs, at least. The couch possessed ample space to sleep on, almost as big as a bunk itself, and whoever had brought him back had apparently decided that was far enough.

Sitting up slowly he allowed the blanket covering him to fall to the floor, rubbing his eyes a moment, before coming to the conclusion something had actually woken him, because he certainly didn't feel rested yet. Rising blearily he stumbled over to the door, pushing it open and glancing briefly towards the stairs, from the top of which came a soft exchange of conversation. Siegel and Meyrin's parents, he concluded, and perhaps even Meyrin herself, though the noise from there was too quiet to have been what drew him to wakefulness. It had been more like an...engine, now that he thought about it, remembering the thing his subconscious mind had registered.

He very nearly jumped out of his skin when there came a brief series of raps on the door, before reminding himself forcefully that this was a hotel, and people _were_ expected to visit he managed to prevent his hand reaching for a holster that wasn't there. He was also the closest to the door, so making a halfhearted effort to straighten out his clothes, at the same time brushing his hand briefly against the stone hidden beneath his collar, he walked to the front lobby, closing his hand about the knob and jerking it open. He froze only halfway, quite sure whatever breath he had formerly possessed had just been robbed from his lungs, his half awake mind startled to reality with a forcefulness that had his thoughts spinning in rapid circles, before finally settling on one, coherent utterance.

"_Father_?"


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Countdown**

It had taken many hours, more than he cared to count, of interrogation and investigation to discover that one solider who had seen the car in which the foursome had arrived, mostly because he had been asking for ZAFT soldiers, and yet the four had made their entrance in civilian clothes, a much more inauspicious means of entry, and something he should have suspected long before it had occurred to mind. Hours of work, then identifying the vehicle, and tracing it to this residence. He had insisted on coming alone, mostly because he was well aware he could be walking right into the Clyne Faction, and the last thing he wanted now was to start a battle, but also because he _needed_ to do this alone.

He had been prepared to face Siegel, or even the girl, or the Representative, anybody, it seemed, but the person who opened the door. It was debatable which one of them was more startled, though Patrick's was more a stunned, almost pleasant surprise, whilst Athrun's eyes widened in shock and _horror. _The fact it had been _his_ presence that aroused such a look from the normally impassive face was enough to break through his stunned trance, just in time to hear the incredulously uttered word.

"_Father_?"

He didn't reply for a moment, drinking in the sight of his son, who looked as though he had just stumbled out of bed, hair in disarray and clothes rumpled in the worst state of untidiness he had ever seen the boy present outside of the privacy of his own room. Athrun had always been a neat person, he recalled, but it appeared the times were affecting even that. But, despite that, he could not help but note the good things as well, the fact he was _alive_ being foremost on that list, and the way those luminous eyes displayed a glow which had been missing of late. Realizing at last that the welcome, however cold it might be, deserved a response he struggled for a moment to find the rights words, before at last simply speaking one, single word.

"Athrun." It had been a long time since he had spoken in such a gentle tone, his voice hardened by ice and fury, and he had not even been sure he still had the capability to soften it, not after so many years of deliberately not doing so.

Athrun's expression was flickering from shock, to disbelief, to panic now, and he seemed to be on the verge of speaking several times, though no sound ever escaped his lips. Patrick waited, allowing himself to simply watch the myriad of emotions flashing through the emerald eyes, the conflict displayed there something he had seen time and time again, yet had chosen to ignore. He had believed he was doing what was best for the PLANTs, what was best for Lenore, to avenge her, but in the process he had neglected to do what was best for his son, and the results of his carelessness he was forced to confront now.

"What are you _doing_ here?" The young man spoke at last, an edge to every word, and Patrick had the impression that, had the thought occurred to him, Athrun would have slammed the door in his face, "You can't be here! You can't..."

"Athrun," both of them jumped at the interjection, though Athrun more so as a hand descended on his shoulder, drawing him out of the locked stare with his father to meet Siegel's kind gaze. The blond man, someone who had once been a friend, but he doubted remained so any longer, gave a quiet nod, "Go upstairs," he suggested quietly, kindly, "Let me."

Athrun hesitated, his eyes going back to his parent for but a moment, before he took several steps back, lingering for a moment longer, then abruptly turning and fleeing the room at just short of a run. Patrick gazed after him for a moment, unwilling to let him out of his sight, least he be just an illusion, before his attention was torn back to his remaining companion.

"So, then," Siegel, the smooth talking, diplomatic peace minister seemed at a loss for words, and went for the blunt approach, though it was not the first time he had reverted to that method with Patrick, "What _are_ you doing here?"

"I came to see my son." It was an honest response, and he tried not sound imperious as he said it. _He_ was the one at a disadvantage here, but it had been so long since he had been in that situation, or had to answer to anyone at all, that he was unsure how to approach this matter. He was so agonizingly close right now, he could _not_ be turned away.

"I see," Siegel nodded, but did not move out of the doorway, his expression a dark frown, "You have a lot of nerve to claim such a right after what you did to the boy. What for?"

"What for..?" Patrick began, on the verge of losing his short temper. A lot of _nerve_? Athrun was his _son_! But Siegel cut him off before he could go further.

"Because if you intend to take him back to the PLANTs with you, I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed, and not because _I_ will stop you. I warned you about what you were doing to him," Siegel was sparing no words, and he continued with barely a pause, "I was surprised he stood by you as long as he did, to be frank. I suppose it was because he was desperate to pretend there was some part of you that still cared, but eventually he came to realize on his own that he was being used. I don't know what you expect to do, Patrick, but if you have come here to prove us both wrong, I'm afraid you'll be facing a challenge. Your son has lost his faith in you, and I'm afraid I did the same I long time ago. Now, answer the question, why did you come here? For what purpose? And what exactly are your intentions? You were once a good friend of mine, and I hope that friendship still remains on some levels, but if you think I'm going to let you destroy him all over again..."

"I only wanted to see him,"Patrick cut the other man off hurriedly. What Siegel was saying was true, he knew, even if he wanted to deny it, even if the ugly dragon buried in his heart wanted to meet those _truthful_ accusations with the same anger he had always loosed. It had been easier that way, but it had also very nearly cost him his son's life. It had been a cruel wake up call, but nothing less than what he needed, and he would not throw away his second chance by making the same mistakes over. "That's all. I thought he was _dead_, Siegel. I left the PLANTs the moment I heard otherwise, without referring to the Council I might add."

"So I supposed," Siegel gave a curt nod, though the look in his eyes had not softened in the slightest,"That was fairly obvious, given the news..."

"What news?" Patrick stiffened, but the other man did not respond at once, before at last with a slight sigh he stepped back, opening the door fully.

"Why don't you come in?" he suggested with obvious reluctance, "I have a feeling we're going to be talking this over for a while."

Patrick did so at once, afraid the offer was going to be rescinded, using the brief moment as Siegel closed the door to glance around the lobby of the worn down place. Despite it's outward appearance the hotel had a rather homely, tidy feel on the inside, with little out of place, and only a few signs of the building's age. Siegel did not give him long to look around, however, leading him straight out through the doorway, past the stairs in the hall, where a middle aged woman with auburn hair and dark blue eyes watched them pass, a much younger girl peering from around behind her, and into the spacious lounge. Siegel paused then, for a moment, to retrieve what appeared to be blanket from the floor, folding it and placing it over the back of the couch, before moving to one of the armchairs arranged in a semicircle, gesturing Patrick to be seated opposite him.

He complied without complaint, but had only just seated himself when his restraints gave way, and he found himself asking the question that had been resounding off the walls of his mind for days on end, "Is he all right?"

"Athrun?" Siegel did not have to guess who he was talking about, and he responded instantly, "As well as can be expected, given the circumstances. He sustained substantial injuries after saving the pilot of the Freedom.."

"Saving?" Patrick leant forward as he repeated the word, immediately realizing what Siegel was implying, "You mean it was deliberate?"

"The pilot of the Freedom, as you no doubt discovered, was also the one who flew the Strike," Siegel answered levelly, "He also happened to be a friend of your son's, a friend from their shared childhood on the moon. Athrun made the decision to save his friend's life in that battle, and that alone was the reason he was injured. That was also when he made the decision to leave ZAFT. Following that ZAFT, on your orders, crushed Orb, and Kira Yamato was taken as a prisoner. Despite not being fully recovered Athrun organized and then executed the rescue of that same Kira, before partaking in a deal with the Earth Alliance to supply us with weapons, and a battle to free prisoners from Heliopolis. He is understandably exhausted, then, but otherwise as well as can be expected at such a time."

It was an answer to Patrick's original question, certainly, but Siegel had also employed his numerous skills as a speaker to feed his audience other information. For starters, that Orb had gone so far as to seek aid from the Earth Alliance, as well as the fact they had been the one's responsible for Kira's rescue, and that they had, he supposed, successfully rescued prisoners from a POW camp, and not just _any _camp, which likely meant they now held the Minerva. Siegel had not lost a single ounce of his talent in that area, it seemed, and it took Patrick several moments to digest that information, before at last he sighed, leaning back in his chair and meeting the other man's gaze steadily.

"So, what do you intend to do now, then?"

"You have been out of the loop for a while, or so Marchio tells me," Siegel replied with an offhand wave, "So you probably don't know about the situation on GENESIS. From what we've heard, it's been hijacked."

"Hijacked?" He had to force himself not to swallow sharply, knowing the full implications of that statement well enough without elucidation.

"Yes," Siegel nodded grimly, "To make matters worse there has been a revolt in the PLANTs, so the ZAFT military is without clear orders. Thankfully, the young Commander Joule was placed in charge of the recovery process prior to the revolt, and I believe he, at least, has the initiative to complete his task."

"Yes, that one is certainly not lacking in initiative," Patrick responded wryly, remembering well the near lecture he had received from the albino Coordinator, "But..A revolt in the PLANTs?"

"Does it surprise you?" Siegel's gaze was slightly sympathetic now, "The leadership has been falling apart more and more since the beginning of this war, and after you vanished...Well, let us just say it was inevitable."

"Or perhaps it wasn't," Patrick stiffened in his chair as another explanation occurred to him, "Perhaps this was the goal Rau Le Creuset has been striving for all along. To divide and conquer."

"Le Creuset?" his friend raised an eyebrow, a slight smile forming on his face, "So, you have at last come to see that man's true colors?"

"With help from a certain individual," Patrick nodded darkly, still furious over the fact he had been used in such a way, and ashamed as well, "He played me well, I cannot deny that, but not anymore."

"Are you so certain?" rising the diplomat marched across to the window, his hands clasped behind his back, before turning away from the view he spoke precisely and firmly, "I believe Rau might have been playing all of us to some extent, and may still be doing so. He has large plans for this world, that much is already apparent, but how far those plans extend is a question yet without an answer. Whatever he intends, I fear it will be to our detriment."

"Then he must be stopped." the Chairman stated firmly, without room for addition, though Clyne gave it anyway.

"Yes, on that, at the very least, we agree," he nodded, "The problem facing us then is; How exactly are we supposed to do that?"

* * *

"What are we going to do, Yzak?"

Dearka had an edge to his voice that was not normally there, a trace of his own nervousness, but Yzak could not offer him a response, for he did not have one. Rau was gone, their contacts in the PLANTs had been cut, and there was no way of knowing whether or not the situation on GENESIS had been resolved or whether it remained the same, or worse. What _was_ one to do in such a situation as this? Run screaming as half the other personnel had? Well, okay, not literally, but a whole lot of them had subtly disappeared. Yzak considered them cowards, dropping and running the moment things turned against them, and he refused to do the same. He was a soldier, a pilot of ZAFT to the bitter end, and he _refused_ to run.

"We still have a mission to complete," he replied at last, turning to glance at Talia as he added, "No matter the situation on the PLANTs, this mission is still of the utmost importance. Whatever is going on on the GENESIS is still our top priority."

"I agree," Talia gave a slight nod, realizing, somehow, that he was asking her a question beneath those words. _Are you with me?_ "We can't risk the PLANTs, no matter what."

"So how are we going to do it?" Dearka protested, voicing the question that did not have an answer, "If there really is a bunch of terrorist in that thing they aren't going to hesitate to shoot us down, are they?"

"That's what the Akatsuki was supposed to be for," Yzak growled crossly, knowing that, when he had taken it, Rau had effectively stolen their only chance at winning the cannon back, "But the Minerva might serve just as well."

"The Minerva?" Dearka swallowed, "Um, Yzak, you do know that..."

"I know," Yzak gave a firm nod, turning back to Talia as he continued, "This will mean allying ourselves with the Clyne Faction, are you willing to go that far?"

"At this point," the woman captain shrugged, speaking with a calmness that almost had him admiring her, "I don't think we have a choice."

* * *

"Say that again!"

Caggallie stared at the dark haired, blind man, unable to voice any of her other thoughts, because his words had not yet sunk into her head. That couldn't be right, it just couldn't be! But, one glance at Lacus told her the pink haired girl had heard the same words, her skin a shade whiter than normal, blue eyes wide with absolute horror as she stared at the screen before her.

"The Seventh Colony is falling," Marchio repeated, in a voice that was remarkably calm, given their current situation. This was more threatening than GENESIS being taken, because at least with GENESIS there was a trigger that had to be pulled. There was no trigger this time, though, and no safety either. The Seventh Colony was already falling, there was no way to stop it now, "We have just over three days, at most, before it strikes Earth."

"Then we have to stop it!" Martin began, only to be silenced when Andrew clapped a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"We don't have the means!" he argued, "The Minerva's cannons might help, but...It still won't be enough."

"We can't do this alone," Lacus agreed, finally shaking herself out of her reverie, "Which means we'll have to ask for help."

"From the Earth Alliance?" Andrew was incredulous, "But, Miss Lacus..."

"No, not the Earth Alliance," Lacus answered him quietly, her words silencing him long enough for her to turn back to Marchio, and utter perhaps the strangest request Caggallie had ever heard, "Marchio, I need you to get me in contact with an officer in the ZAFT forces. I need to speak with Commander Yzak Joule."

* * *

"So," Gilbert could not hide the amusement in his voice, in fact he was almost tempted to laugh. Rau had no idea that every action of _independence _he made was in fact feeding the world more firmly into the hands of the very man he was trying to thwart. The situation was certainly laughable, but Muruta was unhappy enough about this as it was, without adding more for him to complain about, "He's finally making his move. When do you suppose he'll send for the Chairman?"

"You still think he'll do that?" Halberton looked dubious, "After everything that has happened, one would think he would have excluded the Chairman from his plans."

"No, he's too proud for that," Gilbert shook his head, confident in his analysis. He knew the subject all too well, and Rau had yet to prove him wrong. "Le Creuset will want the Chairman there, either on his side or not, simply to witness what it was the Chairman helped him achieve. He wants to make others suffer, and for some reason, he seems to have a vendetta against that family."

"But will the _Chairman _go?" Garcia demanded, always the pessimist, "You said yourself he did not trust your man anymore."

He had not told them the real reason he had a man in the ZAFT forces, of course, they all thought it was his way of getting the weapon he was creating for them _within_ those very same forces. These people were so easy to fool, all because they wanted power, and they were willing to go to any means to get it. Muruta was, in any case. With time, they would likely have even the power they had stripped from them, and only then would they truly see where their arrogance had led them. He could not wait for that day, so he could understand, to a point, why Rau wanted his victory witnessed. On the other hand, that didn't mean he was going to let the man get his own way.

"The Chairman will go, either because he is still in Rau's hands, or because he has finally had the blindfold removed and he will want to protect his people. Either way, he _will_ be there, and it will be the perfect opportunity for us."

"Opportunity?" Muruta raised an eyebrow, "Now, hold on just a minute! You were supposed to provide us with a weapon, not drag us into your little political game!"

"Ah, but this is the final step in attaining that weapon," Gilbert pacified him with a raised hand, "In order to administer it, I need to get near ZAFT, and the only way I am going to be able to do that is to board that cannon. Of course, we could always abandon that plan and try to come up with something new..."

"No!" Muruta very nearly leapt out of his seat at that idea, a predictable reaction, and one that worked entirely in his favor, "We will go forward with this plan," the blond man stated firmly, "Forward, until every last one of those bastards has been wiped from the face of the Earth!"


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Control**

"Lacus Clyne," of all the things Yzak had expected, this was not one of them, and to find himself face to face with one of the leaders of the very Faction he had just mentioned joining less than a few hours after mentioning it was pushing coincidence a little too far for his liking. Not that this didn't save him a lot of trouble, _them_ coming to _him_, but it was still...unsettling, "I was just about to call you."

"Truly?" the young woman looked taken aback for a moment, but only a moment, before her eyes moved to take in the other people present in the room, "Your team, Commander Joule?"

He was tempted to respond to that sarcastically, to ask her where she had gotten that impression, but he knew what the real question had been, so he answered civilly, "Yes, they're all here." And if Shin didn't keep his mouth shut, he wouldn't be here for long.

"Good," Lacus nodded abruptly, seeming edgy, "Because I am here to ask for your help."

"_Our_ help?" Dearka asked in surprise, "Now, hold up..."

"I am aware we do not exactly see eye to eye," Lacus interjected before the tanned pilot could go any further, "But, right now, we don't have any choice but to join forces. I understand you already know of the situation on GENESIS, but something else has arisen that poses just as great a threat to our world, and the only way to stop it is for us to work together."

"A greater threat?" Rey repeated slowly, though it was clear he was considering, as they all were, what could possibly be more dangerous than GENESIS, "Would you mind elucidating?"

"Of course," Lacus did not hesitate, and quickly launched into a full explanation, even if it was brief, "The Seventh Colony is falling on Earth, if it cannot be stopped, it will wipe the entire planet of life."

"The Colony is _moving_?" Talia exclaimed, before frowning, and adding, "What do you propose we do about it, Miss Clyne? I don't see how there is a lot we _can_ do about something that big."

"We intend to try and use the Minerva's Tannhäuser against it, to at least try and slow it down, as well as our own vessels," Lacus explained patiently, "It will require _you_ supplying a crew, Commander Joule, as we are lacking in personnel."

"Using the ships will help," Heine reasoned, "But they won't be able to stop it completely..."

"We know that," again the girl simply nodded, her voice startlingly calm considering she would be one of those killed if the Colony was not stopped, and Yzak was reminded of the reason this young idol was so well respected in the PLANTs. Patrick Zala had certainly set himself a hard opponent when he went against the Clynes, that much was for sure. "Which is why you will continue with your mission, Commander Joule, with whatever backup we can offer you. Right now, GENESIS is our last hope, as well as possibly our second largest threat."

"And _I_ thought our missions were bad before," Dearka groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead before dragging it down his face, turning to Yzak as he proceeded, "So, Yzak, what do we do?"

"Well," Yzak began slowly, though his voice gained force as he proceeded, "I'm not just going to sit here and let myself be blown away! Talia, can you get a crew together to pilot the Minerva? It will mean the Silver Wind is out of use, but.."

"Right now, I believe the Minerva is a more important asset," Talia agreed, "It won't take me long. Just let me take Lunamaria, Shin, and Heine, we may need them, their three vessels are the most adept for this type of mission."

"Very well, then," Yzak nodded without hesitation, trusting her judgement, and not willing to lose momentum by arguing. This needed to be done now and without hesitation, no matter that they had once been enemies with the Clyne Faction, there was no time for such dawdling now. "The rest of us will find a way into that cannon without the Akatsuki and the Minerva, with whatever pilots _you_ can provide, Miss Clyne. Talia and the others will dispatch as soon as possible, I hope you will do the same."

"We're already on it, Commander," Lacus smiled, rising from her seated position, before offering one last titbit of information to the camera, "Marchio will transmit the pick up coordinates. Good luck, Commander Joule."

"This is going to be tough, Yzak," Dearka turned to his Commander as the screen shut down, Talia and the others already moving to make preparations for departure, with a good deal of grumbling on Shin's part. To be frank Yzak was quite happy to be seeing the back of the youngest pilot, though he would never admit it out loud, "Do you really think we can pull this off?"

"We had better," Yzak growled under his breath, "Because if we don't, I doubt we'll be alive to see the results of our failure."

* * *

No one could have argued that the GENESIS was an impressive structure, let alone a weapon, even the corridors were expansive, overpowering assaults to the visual senses that would have robbed any other person's breath away. To Rau, it was merely a fitting final gesture to all the work he had done over the past ten years. Those years had been spent planning, plotting the revenge he had desired for so long, and now, only at the very end, did he get to see it's glorious conclusion. These people would all pay for what they had done to him, because it had been the Coordinators and the Naturals, and their inability to get along that had led to the events which had caused his downfall, which had denied him a _life._

So he would make them pay, let them watch the demise they themselves had brought about, and at the same time he would unwork the efforts of the man who had used the world as an excuse for his own misdeeds. Let every last one of them burn in the fiery abyss, but not until he had given them a chance to think there was salvation. He would wait until the last possible moment before he revealed just how much control he had over them all, the very last moment, because he wanted the boy to be there, the boy who had lived the life _he_ had been denied.

Because, although in all this that child was innocent, _he_ was the one Rau hated the most.

* * *

"You got to hand it to ZAFT," Mu commented from his vantage point behind the controls of one of the more generic ZAFT machines, flying high above the hull of the Minerva, directly across from Kira, who had taken the Saviour on Caggallie's insistence, even though he was sure his sibling was more than a little put out she had been unable to pilot it. It was not as responsive a machine as the Freedom had been, and not the same style he was accustomed to flying, more similar, in fact, to Athrun's former vessel, the Aegis, but it was still better than what the Earth Forces had provided, and most of what ZAFT had had to offer as well. "They sure know how to build a warship."

And in that case, at least, Kira could not disagree with him. The Minerva was a lovingly constructed work of art, flawless in just about every way, and, had he been into that type of thing, Kira would have even considered it beautiful. There was, on the other hand, the sobering recollection that this thing was a weapon, it had been created to kill, and no matter how much time had been put into it, that fact remained the same.

"Hey, kid, is everything all right over there? You've been awful quiet..."

"Everything is fine," Kira shook himself out of his reverie, inwardly scolding the fact he had let himself become distracted, "I was just thinking."

"I try not to," Mu quipped instantly, "Hurts my head."

"It isn't that difficult to tell," Aisha, who had accompanied Murrue on the bridge, interjected dryly, "And I thought Andy was bad!"

"Hey, I had to even out the sides!" Mu protested inanely, "ZAFT had their resident cowboy, so I had to provide the EA with one as well!"

"Riiiight, Lieutenant,do you really expect us to buy that?" Murrue's voice contained barely suppressed laughter, and Kira was reminded, not for the first time, of the amazing capability of human beings to act so naturally, even when their lives were on the line. Perhaps it was a sort of desperation, a frantic desire to hold on to normality, but he liked to believe it was more than that, that it was possible for people to retain their humanity even in times like this, for if they couldn't, the world was truly at a loss.

It was the type of thing Lacus had been working so hard for, that ability to be _human_, even in wartime, the ability to have qualms about taking a life, and yet so many people had refused to hear her pleas, the pleas of the entire world, a world that was breaking about them. What drove a person to go that far? What made them that desperate? He had a feeling he didn't want to know the answer to that, didn't want to have to experience whatever trauma caused such a breakdown in the human character, but, on the other hand, he needed to understand it.

Because very soon, that was the enemy he was going to be facing on the battlefield, the same enemy he would have no choice but to fight.

* * *

"What did you say, Meyrin?" Caggallie blinked at the pigtailed redhead before her, Meyrin twiddling her fingers nervously under the intense gaze of both Caggallie and Lacus, the younger girl having come to meet them at the back door, halting their rush into the house, though the warning she had given them was nothing either of the girls, or their two escorts, could possibly have expected.

"P-Patrick Zala," Meyrin stuttered nervously, "Is here. He's in the living room with your father, Miss Clyne, and has been for the last few hours."

"The Chairman?" Lacus was just as startled as Caggallie it seemed, losing her usual fluency with words, "What is he doing _here_?"

"He came to see Athrun..." Meyrin began slowly, still looking uncomfortable with so many pairs of eyes on her, but she was cut off this time as Caggallie let out a yelp.

"Athrun!"

Not waiting to explain herself to Lacus, or any of the others, Caggallie dodged around Meyrin and shot through the doorway, not even pausing to peer into the living room as she raced up the stairs, nearly stumbling at the top, and darted to the end of the hallway, pausing with heaving breaths as she rapped lightly on the door, frowning when she received no response. Taking in a deep breath she nervously tried the doorknob, starting slightly when it opened easily, before poking her head through the small gap which had opened.

"Athrun?" Almost holding her breath she stepped within the room, closing the door behind her, before glancing around in search of her quarry. The curtains were still open, but the sun had begun to set some time before, and the room was pitched in shadows, the simple furnishing of a bed, drawers, and a single chair facing outwards through the window throwing eery dark shapes across the floor. The bed was still made, untouched, so Caggallie made her way to the chair, crouching down gently next to the young man seated in it, before repeating herself softly, "Athrun?"

He tore his gaze away from the darkening horizon to meet her gaze, those green eyes frightening blank, reminding her with painful clarity of the listlessness they had possessed back when she had first met him. For a moment he simply gazed at her blankly, before his lips turned upwards in a poor reflection of a smile, his voice pacifying and calm.

"It's all right."

"No, it's not," she countered with equal quiet, reaching out without conscious thought to cup his face in her hands. She could feel him trembling underneath her touch, fighting against emotions he seemed to believe he _had_ to keep suppressed. She knew the feeling, oh, how she knew it! But, she had learnt better now, and because of that, she was prepared, and _able_, to offer comfort. To teach the same lesson. "It's not all right. It will _never_ be all right, and _you're_ not all right, are you?"

"I..." he dropped his gaze, and she let him, moving to sit on the arm of the chair, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder, whilst she let the other rest in her lap, giving him time to formulate his response, "I don't know what to do," he had clenched his hands into fists on his knees, and he shook his head slightly as he spoke, unused to such an admission she was sure, his voice sounding so lost, "He's my father, and...But I...I don't know how to face him," he glanced up at her now, eyes pleading, and she tightened her grip in response, "He..He _used_ me...but...but he's still...he's still my father, what am I supposed to _do_?"

"I don't know," Fearing he would actually puncture the skin of his palms by driving his fingernails into them she gently took his hands in her own, drawing his gaze down to their interlocking fingers as she continued, "But you can't keep agonizing over it like this, you'll just end up hurting yourself. He _is_ your father, and perhaps the fact he is here shows that he _does_ still care, but you'll never know if you don't ask. It's entirely up to you how far you're willing to go, he has no control over you anymore."

"You think so?" he pulled a hand free to rub it over his eyes, leaving it resting there as he added, "I thought so too, but when I saw him standing there in the door I couldn't..."

"You were in shock, I'm sure," Gently she wrapped her spare arm about his shoulders, the hand of his she still clasped resting inside her own on her knee. He did not resist being drawn into the one armed embrace, even when she rested her chin atop his head, and she herself was slightly astounded by how comfortable this situation felt, "He _doesn't_ control you, Athrun, even if he _is_ your father, whatever power he has over you is however much you _allow_ him to have, and, in truth, he doesn't even _have_ to have _any_. You can still be father and son, even like that, if both of you are willing."

He only shook his head weakly, incapable of further verbal communication for the moment, and Caggallie let it lie at that, remaining silent, though it was not an uncomfortable silence, even if it was weighted. These were Athrun's own inner demons he was struggling against now, something she did not believe he would ever have considered having to confront. He had convinced himself his father did not care, his justification for leaving, for turning his back on his family after trying so hard to protect it. To have _this_ flung in his face now, when he already had so much to struggle with, was almost cruel, and nothing she could say now would alleviate that pain. It was something Athrun had to figure out for himself, but even if she offered no verbal comfort, there were still other ways in which she could provide solace, even if it was just remaining as she was now, her other arm lifting to join her first,his head pressed up against her left shoulder, the slight trembling of his frame now unconcealable.

Closing her eyes she exhaled softly, wonder why things could not be, just for once, simple. For, though she could allow this brief moment of respite, she knew she was soon going to have to rouse him. Because, no matter how earnestly one wished for it, the world did not stop turning, not even to allow those who were trying to protect it to sort out their feelings.

"Thank you," the hushed noise of gratitude startled her out of her morose thoughts, that and the fact his arms had snaked around her in order to return the embrace. Taken aback by the unexpected gesture she pulled back slightly, which had the unexpected effect of placing their faces mere centimeters apart, the sincerity in those emerald orbs equally displayed in the soft tone of his voice, "You have no idea how lucky I was to ever even meet you."

"L-lucky?" She was stuttering, some, still coherent part of her mind told her that, as well as the fact she was blushing, for no apparent reason. She had been this close to him before, but the intensity in those eyes was somewhat...disconcerting.

"Yes," Reaching up he gently brushed a single, unruly bang back into place, the touch of his fingers setting her skin tingling even more, "Lucky." She believed the soft smile he gave her then, one when all his shields had fallen, true contentment displayed clearly on his visage, was the most breathtakingly beautiful thing she had ever been witness to.

That illusion lasted only until he kissed her.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Reaction**

_Did I just..._ The realization of what he had just done sunk in slowly, breaking through the haze that had clouded his coherent thoughts in that single, significant moment, and with that realization swiftly came the dismay that naturally accompanied it, though he had to admit the first thought that followed was not entirely what he might have expected. _Kira is going to kill me, if Caggallie doesn't first._

Pulling back so abruptly he nearly caused her to fall against him he hurriedly began to stutter an apology, inwardly berating himself for such a ridiculous stunt, only to find himself cut off before he could fully complete a single word.

"Oh, shut it," she placed a hand over his mouth without reserve, meeting his alarmed, wide eyed stare with a tender smile, "You're going to ruin the moment."

"Y-you mean...?" She _wasn't_ angry? For some reason that stunning conclusion did not quite seem to want to make itself at home in his mind, though it was abruptly slammed in with force when the blond girl spoke again, a hint of indignation in her voice as she demanded.

"Do you really think you'd still just be sitting there if I expected an apology? I have no qualms about punching rude guys, you know, but if you really feel the need to seek punishment, I'm sure Kira will happily oblige."

He could not help the strangled laugh that escaped his throat then, though it came out as more of a despairing cry that was just short of tears, and he was only slightly startled to find himself back in her arms again, pressed against her in a way that was more reassuring than he could quite begin to fathom. He wasn't used to finding this type of warmth in another's embrace, and it reminded him vaguely of his mother, the last person he had ever allowed to truly comfort him.

"It's okay." Caggallie's voice was a soft lull, and accompanied by the gentle stroke of her hand through his hair he was sure it would have been enough to coax him to sleep again, heaven knew he _needed_ it, but there was no time for that now, and he forced himself to withdraw again, putting enough distance between them so that he could lift his hands and dash away any lingering moisture in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he spoke softly, feeling shamefaced as he lowered his gaze to the cushions, "I'm not..." _You can't keep running from what you're afraid of. _"I'm not used to...to not knowing what I'm supposed to do," he admitted at last, wondering why it felt like the words had been wrenched out of him by force. The truth was he was not used to having depend on others at all, and to be as dependent as he was right now on this young woman was only making him all the more unsure of himself. Where was the strength he had possessed before, the ability to stand alone? Or was that simply an illusion he had created to fool himself, to hide his own weakness? "To being so..."

"Uncertain?" she was still smiling, though it was more of a sympathetic one now, "It's only natural, Athrun, your entire world has been turned upside down. You don't really expect to be able to go through all that unscathed, do you?"

"I shouldn't be this weak," he muttered that comment, somehow knowing he would earn rebuke, but unable to hide his thoughts, "It's not how I've been trained..."

"Oh, for goodness sakes!" he stiffened as her hands came towards him, expecting a slap, but instead she seized his chin in much the same way as she had the day they first met and forced him to meet her gaze, the intensity in her golden brown eyes enough to freeze him in place as she finished what she wished to say, "Trained? You're a human being, not some type of dog, and human beings have emotions! You can't just teach yourself to do something then expect it to happen even when you can't even understand what you're feeling! Everyone needs help at some point or another, Athrun, and you aren't any different. You're not perfect, you don't need to be, and you shouldn't expect yourself to be. It's a standard you'll never be able to achieve, and you'll only end up falling if you try. I know you aren't used to leaning on other people, I'm the same, to hell with comfort and bring on the independence! But," her expression softened, that tender note that made her face all the more beautiful creeping in again, "But, no matter how hard we try, at some point or another we _are_ going to fall, and that's when we need someone to be there to pick us back up. You were there for me, whether by fate, or coincidence, or whatever, it doesn't matter, just let _me_ be here for you."

"You really _are _a strange person, you know that?" he couldn't help himself, or the quirk that had twisted his lips into a smile, this time a far more genuine one, "But, maybe that's what makes you and Kira both so special, and Lacus. None of you are normal."

"Neither are you," she snorted, grinning even as she added, "Mr. I-got-injured-trying-to-save-the-enemy."

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" It had been so long since he had engaged in such playful banter with _anyone_ that it was an enormous relief to act his age just for once. He was so used to wearing the mask of the soldier that sometimes he forgot how to take it off, and yet Caggallie did so with ease, somehow instinctively knowing what was necessary to do so. He was immensely grateful to her for it, and somewhere, there was that niggling thought in the back of his mind that refused to go away, that whispered that perhaps, just maybe, he loved her for it.

"Of course not," she retorted at once, "Because not only was it the stupidest thing I've ever seen _anyone_ do, but it was also only something _you'd_ do. Makes it special, right?"

"I guess," she was getting confusing now, and he shook his head in bewilderment, before frowning, his abrupt change of mood causing her own face to sober in response, "I can't do this."

"Can't do what?" she appeared taken aback, though she relaxed once he explained.

"I can't keep running, I _have_ to talk to my father. Hiding up here...It...It's not an answer."

"Are you sure?" There was concern in her voice now, and the hand that had transferred itself to cover his own tightened it's grip slightly.

"I'm sure," he could feel himself smiling again, and it was entirely natural to add the words that followed, "After all, you'll be there, won't you?"

Caggallie did not hesitate before responding, though the answer she gave was a greater commitment than he would ever have asked of her, or anyone else, for that matter, showing once again the capability she possessed to surprise him.

"Always."

* * *

"Father!"

Lacus burst into the lounge with enough force to send the door slamming back into the wall, not the most graceful entrance she had ever made, but under the circumstances she found it beyond her willpower to care. Her father was standing by the window, his hands clasped behind his back in a familiar pensive gesture, but Lacus cast him only a quick glance to assure herself he was well, before turning towards the man seated on the couch. Patrick Zala looked more world weary than when she had last seen him, and that, accompanied by the somewhat shellshocked expression on his face, served to give a wretched appearance, but not enough to dislodge the uncharacteristically uncharitable feelings she nursed towards that man. If anyone said that Lacus Clyne disliked someone, they would most likely be laughed at, and Lacus truly did try to see everyone's side, but this man had committed wrongs against someone she had tried to protect, and to harm a loved one, emotionally or physically, because of selfishness was one thing she would not exempt from punishment. Until Patrick Zala proved himself to her, she would not, and _could _not, forgive him.

Siegel turned upon her entrance, and jerking her gaze back to her parent she immediately began to speak, "Father, what is he...?"

"Hush, Lacus," Siegel's tone was pacifying, but he had a resigned look on his face, which perhaps showed he expected the strong feelings she was about to display on this matter, "It's all right."

"No, it's _not_ all right," she did not snap the words, Lacus Clyne did not snap, but they were pronounced with enough vehemence that the seated man stiffened, glancing at her with slightly widened eyes she met head on, "He has no right!"

"Lacus..." It was only a half hearted effort, and she cut her father off smoothly, though not rudely.

"He _needs_ to hear it, father!"

"He already has, to some extent," her parent sighed at last, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, before giving a slight nod, "But, if you feel you must get it off your chest..."

"I must," she sent him a grateful smile for understanding, before turning to Patrick, fighting to keep her dislike out of her voice. She was the mediator, so she must see both sides, but in this case, when she had so clearly seen the effects of this man's actions, it was a difficult role to maintain. "What do you want to see Athrun for?"

"He's my so..." The answer was predictable, and she did not accept it, shaking her head quickly.

"That didn't matter to you before," The man flinched as though from a physical blow, and Siegel opened his mouth as if to interject, before closing it again with a resigned shrug of his shoulders, "Why now? Because you feel guilty over the fact you very nearly caused his death, indirectly or not?" She was aware she might seem spiteful, but though Patrick Zala had come far in making the decision to come here, she still believed he was acting out of his own interests, whether he saw it or not. It had been his own guilt and needs that had brought him here, after all, not Athrun's. "Athrun _isn't_ ready for this!" she proceeded, once she was certain the man was not going to give a verbal response, though she had certainly secured his attention well enough, "It has been hard enough for him trying to find something to believe in as it is, without you turning up to dig up old insecurities, and at a time like _this_! You should have stayed away!"

"I only wanted to see him." the statement was given defensively, and Lacus felt her rarely utilized temper flare in response.

"_You_ wanted," she forced her voice to come out calm, quelling that temper, knowing it was not right to let her own personal feelings interfere in this argument. She was only trying to make the man see, not give him a full blown tirade. Caggallie would take care of that later if it was necessary, she was sure, and she still had to maintain the ideal of Lacus Clyne, even if sometimes she wished she didn't have to, so that she could simply do as her heart wished without fear of ruining the role model she presented to others, the figure to believe in. "Don't you see? It's always been what _you_ wanted, what about Athrun? If he had wanted to see you, he would have done so whilst he was in the PLANTs!"

And perhaps that _was_ a little cruel, but it was a statement of fact as well. Not because Athrun hated his father, she knew he was incapable of hating someone he had devoted so much of his life to, let alone the fact Patrick was the only family he had left, but because Athrun had not been _ready_ for that confrontation, and now it had been forced upon him. It wasn't fair on Athrun, and truthfully, it wasn't fair on his father either, because neither of them were ready for this yet.

"You've already done so much damage by not listening to what _he_ needs," she uttered at last, in a softer tone of voice, "Do you really want to do more?"

"What do you expect me to do, then?" she was taken aback by the defeated sound in the man's voice, the sudden droop in his shoulders a display of weakness she was not quite prepared for, "Leave now? Would that undo what I have already done?"

"No, it wouldn't," she had to admit that, but... "But there is much you _could_ do elsewhere. You're the Chairman of the PLANTs, but you're letting them die through your lack of care! The Supreme Council is crumbling, and so is order, and yet you are here? You have a duty to the PLANTs, you..."

"I upheld my duty to the PLANTs for ten years," the statement was voiced with such bitterness she was quite taken aback, unable to interject as he continued firmly, "It brought me nothing. If the Supreme Council cannot manage without me, then it would not manage _with_ me, either."

"You don't know that!" she argued at once, though she realized they had switched topics. This had not been the argument she was expecting to have with him, though by the grim look on her father's face now it was one that would have been had with or without her interference. "The PLANTs depend on your leadership, you can't just throw away your duty when it suits you!"

"I'm not throwing away my duty," the familiar temper she had expected to show long before now finally made it's appearance in a brief flash in those hard eyes, but she did not back down, not over this matter, and not over the other. "I'm merely doing what I should have done a long time ago, and placing family above the PLANTs."

"You're being _selfish_," exasperated she at last gave in to her urge to make that sentence an exclamation, rather than a calm statement. She was glad the man had finally come to see the worth of his child, there was no denying that, but she could not believe the reckless manner in which he had pursued that new revelation. To abandon the PLANTs simply to go in search of his son, when he must have known it was likely Athrun was _with_ them, was just plain madness, particularly if Patrick had already come to the conclusion he _must_ have that Rau was acting from behind everyone's shadow. To have left the PLANTs in that man's hands at this critical time was enough to make her believe the man had finally taken leave of his senses, not that he had had a terribly great amount to begin with. The fact she had conjured up that last thought startled her, and she hurriedly finished what she had been saying, before any more thoughts lurking in the back of her mind made themselves known. "You're going to end up destroying _both_, can't you see that? You're being a blind fool and..."

"Lacus."

The gentle touch on her shoulder had her spinning about abruptly, blue clashing with green as she met his entirely too calm gaze, mouth opened to protest his interjection, though he simply silenced her by shaking his head, then turning without the slightest trace of hesitation to agree with her.

"She's right, you know, it wasn't worth the PLANTs to come looking for me."

For a moment there was silence, as though the Chairman was digesting both their words, before at last he spoke with the utmost sincerity, a firmness to his voice that contrasted the uncertainty Lacus could practically see wavering about him. For perhaps the first time in his life, Patrick Zala was at a loss as to how to confront a situation, but she could not doubt the honesty of his words when he spoke with such conviction.

"It was to me."

Something akin to pain flashed through Athrun's eyes then, and Lacus saw Caggallie, standing unobtrusively in the doorframe, make a move as if to come forward, before stopping herself, apparently deciding this was something the pair needed to resolve on their own. Agreeing with that assessment Lacus walked slowly over to her father, Athrun's quiet response worded shortly after she reached her parent's side.

"You'll understand if that's a little hard for me to believe."

"Athrun?" Patrick's protest was given with enough force that he rose to his feet, but he got no further, for this time, for the _first_ time, Athrun stood his ground, and did not back down to the man whom he had almost always answered to with a 'yes'.

"No, father," he cut in smoothly, verdant gaze only emphasized by the many suppressed emotions hidden in the depths of those pools of emerald green, "You _can't_ expect me to believe it. Your family was _never_ more important to you than the PLANTs, not even when mother was still alive," Patrick's flinch was well hidden, but still visible to the astute observer, "It was always duty with you, we came second, and things just got worse after. Why am I to believe that has changed now? Because you came here? You came to my initiation as well, to my graduation, that wasn't the problem. The problem was you never _stayed_, father, not once. I was the hobby you sidelined when work came up, and eventually, I wasn't even that, because you _can't_ deny that at some point or another you _did_ only see me as a means to unlocking an end. Do you have any idea how that _felt_?"

Athrun's hands were clenched at his sides now, and his body visibly trembled, the emotions mixed up with each accusation he delivered too complex, too painful for Lacus to even attempt to understand. But, for once, such a heartening sight for one who had yearned for this so long, Athrun's gaze was steady, those green eyes unflinching, neither turning away or shuttering to hide the pain. She had longed for this confrontation to take place, knowing it was quite possibly the only way Patrick would ever open his eyes, and now she held her breath, waiting for the response that would decide so very much of how these two saw each other. The silence stretched as the minutes passed, Athrun unprepared to back down, Patrick unprepared as to how to answer, so that at last he could only utter a weak denial.

"I never meant for things to be that way."

"Maybe," Athrun did not hesitate to concede that point, "But no matter your intentions they turned out that way, and I...I don't _trust_ you anymore, father."

This time the silence was almost deafening, the tension blanketing every occupant of the room, so that even Lacus found herself unable to move, trapped in this perpetual cycle of waiting, waiting for an answer that could very well never come. Then, to the apparent astonishment of them all, Patrick Zala gave a sudden, bitter laugh, punctuating the harsh sound with caustic words.

"That's hardly surprising, I'm not even sure _I_ trust me at the moment."

"Patrick..." Lacus heard her father begin to protest, but the interruption was predictable enough she had known it was coming.

"Oh, don't try to deny it, Siegel," the gray haired man waved a hand in a gesture that dismissed whatever defense her father had been formulating, "After what I let myself be talked into, it's no wonder the PLANTs are falling to pieces. None of those decisions made were mine, you and I both know that."

"Rau Le Creuset," Siegel agreed grimly, unable to argue that point, "The man is a curse. Which reminds me, Lacus, what did you find out from our contact?"

"Father," Lacus protested, casting the Chairman a not so surreptitious glance, "I don't think..."

"Well, I do," he interrupted her firmly, and she knew, then, that he was not going to allow her to get out of this. She didn't trust Patrick Zala, but her father seemed to still hold the man in some small measure of respect, and he would not let this be put off. "Tell me what you found out."

"Oh, crap!" Caggallie exclaimed abruptly, making Patrick jump, as it was clear he had not been aware of her presence, "I'd almost forgotten," she admitted sheepishly, "We're all about to be blown to hell!"

"We're what?" Athrun cast her an alarmed look that was mirrored in his father's startled expression, whilst Lacus calmly elucidated.

"What Representative Attha means to say," She explained tactfully, "Is that the Seventh Colony is falling, and, if it cannot be stopped, it will strike the Earth, and destroy all forms of life living on the planet surface."


	22. Chapter 21

**Part 2: Revelations and Answers**

**Chapter 21: Defiance**

There was complete and utter silence in the room, despite the fact it was crowded, and Kira was certain even the slightest stir of sound would have made any of those present jump. It was not the silence of fear, on the other hand, but more of shock, of denial, of anything that could make them believe, for no matter how short a period of time, that _this_ was not true. It was Murrue who finally broke the silence, her face pale, and her voice little more than a whisper.

"This is..."

"Unbelievable," Mu obliging finished his captain's sentence for her, shaking his head disbelievingly at the image presented on the screen before them, "I thought the bloody thing was supposed to be stable."

"It _was_ stable," Martin muttered under his breath, "There is no way this can be natural!"

There was a quiet murmur of assent to that statement, leading Kira to glance around the room once more, his observation drawing three, distinct words to mind. Council of war. If there was ever a gathering to which that term could be applied, Kira knew, without the slightest trace of doubt, that this was it, and not simply because those present were all soldiers, _and_ from different armies as well.

Those of the Clyne Faction were standing behind Siegel's seat, Aisha and Andrew, Martin, the Hawks, Councilor Amalfi, and Nichol, who had managed to make it down the stairs on his own, even if it had been with a notable limp. There were others, too, but Kira did not know them by name, so he turned to those who would once have stood for the Earth Forces, but now contributed to Orb. Murrue and Mu, as well as Kira's own friends, Miri, Tolle, Flay, and Sai, all decked out in Orb uniform, and arranged in an orderly fashion beside the stiff, straight form of Kisaki.

He himself was an exception from the groups, standing a little apart from all the rest by the doorway, Lacus close enough that he brushed against the fabric of her dress every time he moved, whilst on his other side he was flanked by Caggallie and then Athrun. He had to admit he was somewhat surprised at the lack of tension in his best friend's posture, given that he was in the same room as the man who had used him so abominably, but Athrun showed no visible sign of discomfort at being in the same room as Patrick Zala, a feeling Kira could not quite share,though he could not deny that Athrun was at the most relaxed Kira had seen him since his own rescue.

_This_ was their army though, gathered in the humble lounge of a rustic hotel in the middle of nowhere, trying to prevent two separate scenarios that could both end up with the world being destroyed. A somewhat surreal situation for anyone to try and accept, and one he was still struggling to come to grips with. Fighting back against a world tyranny was one thing, but this, this was something else entirely. His thoughts were interrupted at this point as Martin's growl drew a response from the young woman at his side, a response given in such serene assurance that he was reminded why Lacus Clyne had the capability to awe him.

"I don't know how it happened," she stated calmly, her hands clasped at her waist, but her head erect and her expression alert, "Whether by natural events or outside interference, it does not matter, right now our top priority is stopping it. That is the reason I took the liberty of organizing a cease fire with certain members of the ZAFT military so that we might have a chance at rectifying this before it has already gone beyond our power to stop."

"Certain members of ZAFT, huh?" Mu spoke from his own position beside his captain, one hand placed subtly about Murrue's waist, though Kira wondered if he seriously expected no one to notice, blue eyes watching Patrick, who had yet to even speak, with some suspicion, "Should we know what that means?"

"Nichol might," Andrew offered, before stating the obvious, "And Athrun. Miss Lacus is talking about Commander Joule."

"Yzak Joule?" Kira started in surprise, remembering the officer who had been responsible for his imprisonment all too well, "He's willing to help us?"

"More than willing, I should think," Lacus returned readily, "He is sending us a crew for the Minerva,once we have decided on who will be tasked with each mission the majority of our forces will take off in the four vessels to try and slow the descent of the colony until GENESIS can be fired. I have promised him what pilots we can spare to help in that regard, though I honestly do not know if more pilots will help with what they are up against. It will be dangerous, perhaps even deadly, but trying to stop the descent of the Colony might be just as much so. In fact, whatever we do now will be dangerous, and as such, I cannot demand the presence of any of you in this fight," Lacus glanced about the entire room, her gaze encompassing the Hawks, who were now seated as a family unit, as well as the other members of the Clyne Faction, inclusive of the crew of the Archangel present, "This is a choice you must make again, I'm afraid, because this is not a choice to fight, but quite possibly a choice to die instead."

"If we do nothing we may very well die as well," surprisingly enough, it was Natarle who pointed out the inevitable, "I cannot speak for the other people here, but I, at least, would prefer to go down protesting that fate as much as possible."

"Hey, I never thought I'd be saying this, but I've gotta agree with that," Mu grinned brightly, "It's not in my nature to just sit back and take whatever the world throws at me."

"We already shouldered an obligation to protect this world," Murrue agreed seriously, after only a quick glance at the pilot beside her, "We cannot toss that burden on others now. The Archangel is at your disposal, Miss Clyne."

"As is the Kusanagi," Kisaki agreed somberly from his own conspicuous position, "I think it is safe for me to say no one in Orb wants to sit waiting to die either."

"And what about you, Kira?" he was startled to find Lacus' bright blue eyes focussed on _him_, not to mention the eyes of most of the others in the room, his friends included. He had a feeling Miri and the others had already made their decision, their decision to defend their homeland, and their parents, whose lives also depended on all this. It was one that needed little thought, for him, at least, because what point was there in hiding when you could lose everything that way? At least if they stood up and fought they would have a chance at surviving, and he believed, even if he was just only now realizing it, that he now understood how Caggallie had felt when she made the decision to fight. Running was not an option, in truth it never had been, and it was time to prove to the world that they weren't just going to sit back like good dogs and calmly swallow their fate.

"I think all of us realize there is no choice but to fight," Kira began slowly, fearful of tripping himself up with his words, and still entirely too mindful of Patrick Zala's presence, "It's the same as it was before, we all know what has to be done, it's just, this time the stakes are a little bit higher. We aren't fighting for the morals and ideals this world needs anymore, we are fighting for it's welfare, and _that's_ the only difference I see. I am willing to fight when and where I am needed to, so don't worry, Lacus, I, and the Saviour, are at your disposal."

"That's right, I had almost forgotten," Mu frowned, "We are still seriously depleted in our number of mobile suits, and the Justice...I presume _you'll_ be piloting it?"

Kira turned with everyone else to await Athrun's response, for his friend had not yet committed himself to this cause, though Kira was sure he would not sit idly by after already coming so far. Upon Mu's question, Athrun nodded slowly, before turning to Lacus, "I'll take it to support Yzak, Lacus. I think...I think I can get us aboard the GENESIS." this time his gaze took in all of those seated, and there was hint of determination in his voice and face, that did not lessen even when he turned to cast Caggallie a slight smile.

"I had hoped as much," Lacus nodded slowly, "They are your teammates, for the most part, but will you go alone? There are few others we can spare..."

"I'll go," Caggallie stated abruptly, earning a few surprised glances, though Athrun's look was more amused than surprised, and to Kira's astonishment he did not even try to protest, "After all," she continued, interpreting their surprise as doubt, "Without the Rouge I'm not much use in a space battle, if I go and help with GENESIS, there is a chance the battle could turn out to be without Gundams, I'll be of more help there."

"The rest of you should concentrate on the Colony," Athrun agreed, addressing the entire gathering, his voice unusually decisive, "You know we can't spare that many people, even if Yzak has sent a team. The Earth Forces were stationed on that Colony, remember? It's highly coincidental that it's moving now, and I believe you may be facing more than simply a battle against time."

"The _Earth_ Forces dropping it?" Martin uttered incredulously, "That's madness!"

"Or perhaps a ploy to slow us down," Murrue stated softly, her face marred by a dark frown, "They must know we'll try and prevent it, and, given their recent actions, I can't help but believe they would be willing to go that far, to cost lives, if it helps them achieve their final goal."

"Which is why we cannot allow it to distract us from GENESIS," Yuri Amalfi interjected, "If the Seventh Colony is indeed a distraction, you can be guaranteed their plans involve that cannon."

"I had already guessed as much," Athrun nodded smoothly, and Kira was startled at what he said next, for Athrun had only heard the news an hour before them at the most, and yet right now he was calmly laying before them a calculated series of tactics, "But, nevertheless, you cannot deny the Seventh Colony poses a serious threat. If the worst come to the worst I can always destroy GENESIS using the Justice' nuclear power source, obliterating it before it ever has a chance to fire, but if we destroy GENESIS, we won't have a high powered cannon to blast the falling colony, which leads to the need for another strategy. Meyrin?"

Bouncing to her feet the young girl hurriedly adjusted the image of the screen to what seemed to be a blueprint of the colony itself, Athrun proceeding as soon as she was done.

"No matter what we do, it will be impossible to break the Colony up before it reaches the Earth without firing the GENESIS, but, on the other hand, if we don't regain GENESIS fast enough we could end up blasting the Earth as well. What we need is a way to remove the Colony from Earth's vicinity, which is achievable by breaking it up into smaller pieces. There is no guarantee that the Tannhauser, or even the meteor breakers will achieve this, but there _is_ one other way."

"And what way would that be?" Mu asked curiously, but Athrun simply turned to Meyrin's father, Alistair giving a short nod, before speaking from his seated position.

"As an engineer I used to work on correcting minor faults within the colonies," he explained simply, "The Seventh Colony is an older model, and in order to achieve access to it's inner works it had a centre shaft accessible from the outside. It's not that large, but if one was to travel up it to the very centre it would probably be possible to break the Colony up into quarters, at the very least."

"That shaft doesn't look that big to me," Andrew responded quietly, observing the screen, "Would a mobile suit fit?"

"Ours won't," Athrun told him simply, "But there is a machine being sent down to Earth that has the capabilities to do it, if we can only get the pilot to agree. It might be a long shot, but GENESIS is an even longer one, and if we fail, there _has_ to be a backup plan. Just like with GENESIS. Detonating the Justice would be a last resort, but it's better that than losing the world."

"That's true," Lacus gave a slow nod, ignoring the vehement glare Caggallie turned on her, why exactly, Kira was not sure, "If saving the world comes at the cost of our lives, it is a price I think all of us are willing to give. We have not fought to protect this world only to see it crumble now, so we must all do our best to defy that fate, and accept whatever consequences may come."

"Agreed," Siegel nodded crisply, before turning to the Chairman, who up until now had remained silent, "What about you?" His voice was soft, but there was a demanding note behind it that all of them heard, "You have come here already, and it is clearly evident you cannot return to the PLANTs at this time, so, what now?"

"GENESIS," Patrick muttered at last, after a long stretch of silence that seemed to vibrate with _something_, though when he did finally speak his eyes had turned to Athrun, "There is a chance I can still get inside it."

"_Inside _it?" Yuri exclaimed, clearly seeking an explanation, and the Chairman tore his gaze away from his son to nod briefly.

"Miss Clyne has already stated a suspicion that Rau Le Creuset is behind this, if that is true, and he is still aboard that thing, I should be able to board it without trouble."

"Are you certain?" Siegel's voice had taken on a doubtful note, "As you are the Chairman, he _should_ not intervene, but..."

"He won't want me there as Chairman," Patrick stated firmly, "But he _will_ want me there to witness whatever it is he has planned for this world, because _I_ am the one who gave him that power. I know him well enough for that, he _will_ let me board."

"Well, yes, but," Lacus frowned pensively, "There is no guarantee that once you are on board you will be allowed to go free."

"I don't need to be," Kira held back a choked gasp, quite sure he must be dreaming, for this could not be happening. Patrick, meanwhile, had turned his gaze back to his son, eyes narrowed in their intensity, "I merely need to be a distraction, long enough for the others to get in. If Rau is busy gloating, he won't be keeping an eye on the security, it will give them a chance."

"No." The word was flat out denial, and coming from Athrun, to his _father_, it was almost enough to make Kira's jaw drop open, though the stubborn frown that accompanied it was so typically Athrun he was also tempted to laugh. "You can't," Athrun proceeded firmly, "He could _kill_ you."

"And anyone else seated here within seconds," this was an interesting clash of wills, if nothing else, for Patrick was trying to state his case calmly, something he had rarely done before, and Athrun had adopted the role of immovable object, though perhaps the conclusion was still inevitable, and perhaps Athrun had already known that, "Truthfully, I believe I used whatever time I had alloted me a long time ago, it's time to start paying it back."

"Are you certain?" Siegel's tone was soft, yet his gaze was piercing, as if he could see right through the other man, "You could be taking an immeasurable risk here."

Patrick gave a snort, rising before he responded, "There can be no gain without a few risks taken, besides, this is probably the first risk _I_ have ever taken, the rest have all been Le Creuset's. I can take a shuttle from the Orb port, if I leave immediately I should arrive about the same time Joule's team is ready to make a move."

"Father..." Athrun's voice was a mixture between frustration and some emotion Kira could not quite name, but Patrick didn't give him a chance to finish, walking across the room to place a hand briefly on his son's shoulder, his voice so quiet Kira had to strain to hear what was said.

"I'm afraid I won't be staying again," he said softly, "I just hope that when this is all over, you can find it within yourself to forgive me for what I have done."


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Mirror Image**

"But, this is..." Luna froze in surprise only one step down the boarding ramp, sure she must be dreaming, or hallucinating, or...or _something_. But there was no denying what now met her eyes, or the fact that she knew this place well, after all, she had spent half of her childhood here.

"Luna?" Shin's questioning tone tore her from her reverie, but she had no time to respond, to explain herself, as another, entirely familiar voice interjected.

"Sis!"

The young girl practically flew up the ramp, having emerged from the large, yet not so large, mass of people moving back and forth on the landing platform, going about the various tasks necessary to prepare for such an operation as this, though there was a group at a standstill Luna now realized included her parents as well, before throwing herself at her sibling in a laughing embrace, her cherubic features still as bright and bubbly as Luna remembered.

"Meyrin?" she could not conceal her astonishment, nor stop the question that instantly came to mind, "You mean you're a part of..."

"The Faction?" Meyrin drew back slightly, looking suddenly uncertain, though whether because of Luna's question or the fact nearly everyone was staring at the pair of them, those from the crew of the Silver Wind anyway, she could not tell, "I...I guess I am," she admitted at last, "Now that I think about, I suppose I must be."

"But, how...?" Luna was at a loss for words, but before she could pursue this investigation any further their group was approached by four of those who had been waiting at the rustic dock, one of them, at least, easily recognizable.

"Welcome, Captain Gladys, soldiers of ZAFT," Lacus wore a heartwarming, yet still somehow grim, smile of welcome as she addressed them, "Thank you so much for coming, I realize this is somewhat awkward, and I cannot begin to express my gratitude for you coming so quickly. Commander Waltfield believes you have broken a few records in reaching Earth within the time you have."

"Yes, well, the Silver Wind is certainly a fast vessel," Talia responded good naturedly, "But, I can't help but wonder what you intend to do now?"

"Of course," Lacus nodded at once, before turning to the two standing on her right, one a brunette woman wearing the captain's uniform of the Earth Forces, the other a tall, tanned man dressed in Orb apparel, "This is Captain Murrue Ramius of the Archangel, and Commander Kisaki, who will be taking command of the Kusanagi during this operation. I myself will be in charge of the Eternal, and my father will accompany you and the rest of your crew on the Minerva to help with communication between our parties. I had hoped to give you a full briefing upon your arrival, but time conspires against us."

"We understand," Heine remarked mildly, "Just tell us what we need to know. We are soldiers, after all, we are used to acting on sparse instructions, especially of late."

"Very well, then," Lacus nodded, "First off, you'll need to know who is being deployed where. The Archangel's crew will remain much as it has been already, with the pilots Lieutenant La Flaga and Kira Yamato piloting some of the mobile suits we retrieved from the base, whilst Nichol Amalfi, Commander Waltfield, and Captain DaCosta will remain on the Eternal. All five of them will run interception, for I fear we might encounter enemy vessels during our attempt to stop the Seventh Colony from falling. The task of actually destroying the colony will then fall to the pilots of the Kusanagi and the Minerva. Members of the Clyne Faction with meteor breaker equipped suits will board both vessels, and the pilots you have brought with you will be in charge of protecting them once they are actually within the Colony. Truthfully, we have no idea what kind of force we could end up fighting against here, but it is almost a certainty that the Colony falling is no natural phenomena. We are terribly short on hands, but I believe we may still have a chance to make a difference, no matter how small."

"Yeah, well, correct me if I'm wrong," Luna started at Shin's interruption, mostly because it was voiced somewhat politely, with respect even, a new for him. "But, even if we are able to break it up into smaller pieces, it will still hit the Earth, and cause a lot of damage. I mean, even if GENESIS fires on it, will it make that much of a difference? The Colony is _huge_, and GENESIS is only going to scatter more rock around, isn't it? Am I...wrong?"

"No, you raise a good point," the fourth member of Lacus' party agreed with a brief nod, startlingly green eyes surprisingly calm in the face of things, though, when he realized he had spoken without introduction the young man hastily did a backtrack, "My apologies, I didn't mean to be rude. My name is Athrun Zala."

It was the first time Luna had seen Heine give a visible start, not that she supposed she should have been surprised. Heine had been stationed at Headquarters, so he must have known of Athrun's status, even if there had been rumors circling about the young pilot's defection. As it turned out those rumors might just be true, in fact they almost certainly were, and Luna was well aware of a slight reddening to Shin's face. No doubt he remembered as well as she did the words exchanged in the PLANTs.

"Athrun Zala?" Talia's voice showed mild surprise, and not a trace of the astonishment that had originally been displayed there, "My, this is a day for surprises, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately," Athrun gave a curt nod, before turning his gaze back to Shin, "The problem you described has occurred to us as well, and we discussed means of overcoming it shortly prior to your arrival. However, ultimately, whether or not those means can be employed will depend on _you_."

"On...on me?" Shin was clearly taken aback, though Athrun did not hesitate to explain.

"Yes, that's right. Like you said, even if we break the Colony up into smaller pieces, and then destroy it using GENESIS, there will still be an enormous amount of rock that could fall on the Earth. The GENESIS is a precise weapon, and no matter where it strikes it isn't going to break every little piece up into smaller pieces, plus, there is the added danger that if we fire it too close to the Earth we could risk hitting the planet itself. Because we have no idea whether we will be successful in taking GENESIS or not, or taking it in _time_ to fire before the Colony comes too close to Earth for firing to make a difference or to be safe, we had to look at other options. Fortunately for us, the Seventh Colony has a specific feature which should help us in breaking it up into small enough pieces that it can be forced into the direct firing line of GENESIS, without posing any danger of rock showers to the Earth at all.

The Colony itself is constructed about a hollow, central shaft that is used as a means for keeping the Colony stable. Despite being fired upon, this shaft still remains intact, and is the sole reason the Colony has not already broken up. In the very center of the Colony's construction, and coincidentally, the middle of the shaft as well, is the framework that holds the entire structure together. It is an outdated construction method, and is not utilized anymore due to that weakness, but right now, it serves our need excellently. What this mission requires is for someone to fly up the central shaft and destroy the core, causing the Colony to break up into more manageable pieces. However, on the other hand, there are a number or risks factors.

First off, there is a chance whoever flies this mission could be caught inside the Colony once they destroy it, if that happens, there is no guarantee you will be able to get out before GENESIS fires, and we won't be able to wait for you if you don't make it out. Secondly, there is the possibility parts of the shaft have caved in, for all intents and purposes you will be flying blind according to what data we can provide you, and if something has changed within the shaft, you could end up dead before you ever reach your target. The third issue is the size of the shaft itself, hardly big enough to permit a mobile suit to pass, which is why you are the only one who can fly this mission.

Shin Asuka, you are the pilot of the Impulse Gundam, and because of that machine's capabilities we believe, according to what data we have on both your machine and the Colony, that you alone have a chance at entering that shaft, reaching the center, transforming your machine long enough to destroy it, and then getting the hell out of there before GENESIS fires. It is a mission that will take an inordinate amount of skill and luck, do you think you're up for it?"

"Well, I..."

Once again Luna found herself surprised, she would have expected Shin to leap at the chance to show off his skills, and she did not deny he had plenty of skills to show off, but somehow, the seriousness of this entire situation seemed to have tempered his robust personality, and for the first time he showed uncertainty. Not that she could blame him, to be told you are the only one who can do something that has the possibility of making a huge difference had to be daunting to anyone, though she _did_ have to wonder exactly how much the Clyne Faction knew about the placing of ZAFT's pilots. Apparently, it was plenty enough to form a scheme like this.

"I can try, sir." Shin uttered at last, with a trace of the old firmness she remembered, though it was clear he was unsure how to address Athrun.

"That's all we are asking of you," Athrun nodded, "Right now, that's all any of us can do."

"So what about GENESIS?" Heine asked, his arms folded before him, "You promised Commander Joule some helpers, Miss Clyne."

"That I did," Lacus was not at all thrown off by the sudden change of subject, "Athrun and Miss Attha will take the Justice and do what they can to help, I'm afraid I can't spare more pilots than that."

"The Justice?" Luna blinked, remembering the second vessel constructed for the Minerva, "Wouldn't that be of more use here, helping with the destruction of the Seventh Colony?"

"No," Athrun corrected her at once, "Because if we fail to take GENESIS, there is a chance it could fire on the PLANTs, or even on Earth. If that happens, then using the Justice's nuclear core may be the only way to stop that cannon."

"You'll self destruct?" She knew the implications of that statement, and he obviously realized that, for the only answer he gave her was a slight nod, Lacus offering a more verbal reply.

"This would be a last resort, of course," Luna was not sure if she imagined the slight hint of warning in Lacus' tone as she glanced at Athrun, but she certainly did not imagine the blank look of innocence he gave her in return, "But we did have to consider it. As you can see we have tried to prepare a counter for every possible outcome, is there anything you can add to that?"

"I would say you have already managed fairly well on your own," there was a hint of admiration in Talia's voice, and the same expression shown on her face, "A very well thought out scheme, Miss Clyne, how long until we can depart?"

"The four vessels still have two hours or so before resupplying is complete," Murrue offered helpfully, before turning to Athrun, "But, you're leaving before that, aren't you?"

"As soon as I've run over the data with Shin," the response was immediately in the affirmative, "If we wait any longer, it could mean my father's distraction is of no use at all."

"Your father?" Heine started for a second time, before giving a low whistle, "He's in on this too?"

"In a way," Lacus remarked offhandedly, "In any case, I'm sure you would like to see the Minerva now. Your crew will need time to acquaint itself with the vessel, and the mobile suits aboard the Silver Wind need to be transferred over. If you would be so kind as to follow me?"

* * *

_Well, I guess you got the adventure you always wanted_.

Shin was finding it hard to suppress the slight tremble in his hands as he clenched them in his lap, carefully focussing on the route Athrun was dissecting for him, explaining exactly where the shaft was narrowest, where he could most expect it to have taken damage, what speed it would be safe to travel at certain parts, the best places to strike the framework, and how long he would have to get out again. It was a lot of information to try and swallow all at once, and for perhaps the first time since graduating as a red elite, Shin felt _nervous_.

He had been only six years old when the Seventh Colony was destroyed, taking his family, employees on the research PLANT, with it, and casting any chance of a normal childhood into the dust. Back then he had been only a kid, and he hadn't understood the concept of revenge or hatred. As he grew older, however, and learned that no one had ever been brought to account for those actions, his perspective had begun to change, and the resolve had formed, somewhere in the back of his mind, that _someone_ had to pay for what they had done. When the then Chief of Defense Patrick Zala had initiated a program to induct children robbed of their parents into the military in order to offer them a firm chance in life he had been one of those to jump on the bandwagon, because here was a chance to gain the power he needed to avenge all those innocent lives thrown away, to avenge his parents, and his little sister, barely more than a baby at the time.

But war had been averted time and time again, and as a youngster he wasn't allowed to train as a pilot until he turned fifteen. The war had broken out about six months after that, and instead of completing the customary two year training period, Shin was cast into the space battlefield after a mere twelve months, along with Rey and Luna, both of whom had trained for twice as long. He had been told before leaving that he need not worry about the lesser amount of time, that his capabilities were near equal with those two, and might exceed them with time, and so, he had considered himself ready to begin his quest for revenge.

War was an unwilling ally, on the other hand, and he had been trapped in space, fighting only interception missions, or taking part in guerilla battles that did not make the slightest bit of difference. It had been frustrating to the point it infuriated him, and then finally he had been given a chance, assigned to the Joule Team, and sent against Orb. Granted, Orb had never been a part of the force suspected to have attacked the Colony, but they were a part of Earth nonetheless, and they had sheltered an Earth Forces vessel. He had been all too happy to help crush that country, and he had not minded that ZAFT took the whole world by force. So much of it belonged to the Earth Alliance, he believed they needed to suffer as they had made others suffer. The jealous Naturals who had killed out of such a petty emotion, they deserved everything they got.

Luna's words had affected his beliefs on that, and not just because they had held a mint of truth, he had heard truth before, and dismissed it, but more so because Luna was a friend, and he owed her at least enough to listen. That didn't mean he believed in what she said, on the other hand, or that he agreed with turning against ZAFT. He had believed that the Commander's loyalties were questionable, that Lacus and the Amalfis were traitors, and it was only now that he began to see that perhaps they had been right all along.

Revolt in the PLANTs, GENESIS, and now the Seventh Colony. It was all the fault of people unable to forgive or forget, people like _him_ who sought revenge, and now it had come to the point where that same inability could end up destroying _everything_. Not only that, but _he_ could be the one to hold the key in preventing that, in preventing something he could very well have helped cause, and though he had always longed for a chance to prove himself, to wipe the condescending, indulgent smiles off all their faces, _this_ was certainly not the debut he had expected. This was too _real_, in a way, and if someone had asked him if he was afraid, he doubted he could have found the willpower to lie.

"Is something wrong?" Athrun had paused in his briefing, apparently aware that Shin was no longer paying attention, and hurriedly he stiffened in his seat, embarrassed that he should be allowing his thoughts to drift at such a time.

"Er, uh, no, it's just..."

"Just?" turning away from the console the older pilot waited patiently, not pushing, not even mentioning that they were pressed for time in the most critical manner possible, but merely waiting as Shin tried to formulate an answer that was not as untactful as his usual ones, or so Luna told him.

"I was just wondering..."

"Yes?"

_Oh, to hell with it! _"You defected?"

"I did." Apparently his question had not caused offense, because the only response he got was a slow, steady nod. Frowning, he pondered those two words for a moment, before continuing with what seemed the next logical question.

"Why?"

"Because if I hadn't, it would have meant a lot of people I cared about would die, possibly at my hand," he had cocked his head to the side, watching Shin as though trying to figure out what this was all about. The young pilot did not blame him in the slightest, even _he_ was not sure. "But, besides that, it was because I couldn't believe in the cause I was fighting for anymore. I was told that Lacus and Nichol were both traitors, that they were the enemy, and that they should be destroyed because of it. I believed that to an extent, and maybe I would have gone through with it, except that I would have been destroying them for something I didn't even really care about. ZAFT's only purpose in starting a war was supposed to be self defense, and yet so many things that have happened over the past months have shown that is no longer the case, and I'm not just talking about the taking of Heliopolis. In any case, ZAFT's cause was not something I could uphold or defend, and I couldn't keep on fighting for something that wasn't my own cause. I needed a better reason than just orders, and I couldn't find it with ZAFT."

"But you deserted your homeland!" Shin protested, earning himself a sigh from the other occupant of the room.

"Maybe that's true," Athrun admitted after a moment, "But ZAFT was destroying things precious to me, and if I had stayed with them, I would have become little more than a destroyer myself. Look at what has happened in the PLANTs now, the people are revolting, and they don't even know about GENESIS. The Supreme Council and ZAFT both lost sight of the reasons why this all began in the first place, and once you do that, it's all over."

"What if..." Shin hesitated, before abruptly taking the plunge, "What if your reasons aren't that good to begin with?"

"Most people have a 'good' reason to begin with, or one that seems good to them," traces of understanding were dawning on the older boy's face now, and there was a slight smile forming on his lips, "And the most common reason people choose to fight is to protect what they have, or to take back from others what they have already lost. Most reasons are justified as well, but when you have everyone at each other's throats because _they_ believe they _are_ justified, how is anyone ever going to back down? The only way to ever see peace is for one side or the other to realize that what has gone is never going to come back, and that, though we can protect ourselves, destroying what others have is not an acceptable way to do that. It's a matter of finding balance, a difficult thing to do in the best of times, and we have to find that balance within ourselves before we can hope for the world to do the same. And that, honestly, is what makes it so damn hard."

"But they took everything!" He could not let it go so easily, and by the expression on Athrun's face, he had expected no less, "Am I just supposed to forget that? I know we have to stop this Colony, but a part of me just..."

"Wants it to fall?" There was no condemnation there, as he was sure he would have received from Luna, and he sat back in his chair, taken aback at such a calm response. He had never really bothered to speak about his experiences with anyone, and it was only now, when the decisions he made based on those experiences could have such a profound effect that he finally aired his true thoughts. He had been sure for such a long time that he would be condemned for joining the military out of a desire for vengeance, that people would see him as nothing but a blood thirsty monster. The last thing he had expected to find was such a measure of understanding, and from a virtual stranger no less. "I know you were part of the victim project," Athrun commented quietly, "The Clyne Faction sent through all the files on both you and your machine. Your family died on that thing, right?"

"They didn't die," Shin clenched his fists into tight balls, fighting to hold back his anger, "They were _murdered_, and no one ever had to pay for it!"

"But making the whole world pay for it isn't going to make you feel better, is it?" the question took him by surprise, and he faltered, "Do you really want the entire world to be destroyed in exchange for your family? Are their lives worth so much you will destroy millions of others just because there is a chance those responsible will pay? Will you become a destroyer, simply to avenge your family, when that is surely not what they would have wanted?"

"I..."

"There, I didn't think so," Athrun gave him a calm smile, "Figure out what you really want, Shin, what you really believe in. I think you'll find it makes a difference. Now, shall we?"

For a moment he hesitated, startled by the fact he had blurted so much in front of this person he hardly knew, and by the fact Athrun had been able to tell him what he needed to hear. He had questioned his motives ever since Luna had, but avenging his family had been a fail-safe he always fell back on. Now, he could very well end up saving those people who had destroyed his life, but, on the other hand, he couldn't very well punish everyone else for that single atrocious act. He had gained the power he had always wanted, and now it was that power alone that could make the difference in whether this world survived or not. So, perhaps his motives had been wrong, perhaps he had done something his family would never have wanted of him, but it didn't matter now, because now he _could_ make a difference, the difference he hadn't been able to make then, and he was willing to try. Lifting his gaze from his lap he met that expectant look head on, replying with every ounce of bravado he possessed.

"You bet!"


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Interlude**

"I see."

Lunamaria sat back in her chair, letting the cushions attempt to swallow her in their comfort, and closing her eyes as she drew a deep breath. She had not been surprised when it had been Meyrin, not her parents, who drew her aside to explain everything. Her father _was_ an engineer, after all, and his talents were needed in completing the repairs on the vessels that required work, her mother aiding in the odd jobs that accompanied such large scale repairs. What _had_ surprised her, on the other hand, was that Meyrin had not done so alone, but with the help of Nichol Amalfi, the young senior she had always admired at Academy, and not just because he was the only person she knew, besides Shin, that is, who had graduated after a single year due to the pressures of the war. Nichol had done so shortly before the beginning of the fighting, when war first loomed, the last pilot needed to make up the numbers for those testing the new Gundams, Shin had done so half way through the war, twelve months later, and he had gotten out early because of his exceptional skill as a pilot.

"I never wanted to be a part of the war," Meyrin concluded softly, her hands folded in her lap, and her face downcast, "I never even wanted to hold a gun, to hurt anybody, but when ZAFT came and took away our freedom, I couldn't let our parents fight that alone, Luna!"

"I'm not angry, Mey, you don't have to worry," she hurried to reassure the younger girl, who looked to be near tears, though Nichol had already placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I understand why you did what you did, I just...didn't even expect our parents to be involved, to be frank."

"Marchio contacted them," Meyrin wiped away what few tears had escaped her eyelids, "The man from the orphanage. It turns out he's a member of the Clyne Faction."

"Well, that explains it, then," she nodded, eager to move on from that subject, "You've been working as a transmissionist, then?"

"And a hacker," Nichol responded before Meyrin could, flashing the girl a smile, "ZAFT security doesn't stand a chance with her around."

"That's not true!" Meyrin argued at once, blushing under such praise, "Athrun knew most of the codes, so I only had to do half of it!"

"So, what now?" Luna sighed again, sitting up straighter, "You're coming with us?"

"I'll be aboard the Eternal," Meyrin nodded, "At least, I think so. All three of our ships don't have a full crew, so the Minerva will be the only one that does, so I have to help. No, I _want_ to help. To sit by idly now..."

"I know exactly what you mean," Luna shuddered, clenching her hands in her laps, "I can't believe it's come to this. The end of the world...Gosh, it sounds so dramatic!"

"It is dramatic," Nichol stated quietly, "We could lose everything if the Colony falls."

"Or if GENESIS fires," Meyrin added quickly, "Two threats at the same time...I can't believe it's come to this either, sis."

"But, even though it's so unbelievable, we're still rushing out there to fight against it," Luna groaned, dragging a hand down her face, "Are we mad?"

"Maybe," Nichol offered, not exactly the reassurance she had been looking for, but a response at least, "But if that makes the rest of the world sane, I'd rather be mad."

"Me too," she agreed fervently, "Me too."

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Caggallie?"

Kira didn't mean to doubt his sister's ability, he knew she was able, exceedingly so given she lacked the added advantage of being a Coordinator, but still he could not banish the ball of worry weighing him down, because this time he wouldn't be there to protect her, to shield her if things went badly. They were going to be on separate battlefronts, and each battle would be theirs alone.

"I'm sure," Caggallie finished fastening the zipper on her flight suit, apparently ignoring the fact he was questioning her for the moment, "The Saviour is a lot better off in your hands, especially seeing as you can actually _fly_ it. Kisaki can take care of the battle, he's done so before, and I can be of more use up in space. I wouldn't be of any worth with you, and I'd just go crazy sitting around doing nothing whilst the rest of you were out on the battlefield."

"I know all that, but," he paused, unsure how to voice this in a way she would accept as less than an insult, "Still..."

"I'll be fine, Kira, and as perfectly safe as anyone else out on that battlefield," she was glaring at him now in a way that was mildly threatening, and his hands were already lifting to protest, "We're all taking a great risk here, you can't expect me to just sit back and do nothing. Besides, I'll be with Athrun, you trust him to protect me, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"But nothing," Caggallie was not budging, that was quite clear, and Kira began to hold back a smile as her familiar determination shone through, "I'm going. _Someone_ has to go and make sure that idiot doesn't kill himself, after all."

"You still haven't forgiven him for that, then?" Kira was restraining laughter now, though he was sure his face was twitching.

"Of course not, and you and Lacus are just as bad!" Caggallie snapped at once, unaware she was being teased, " 'If the worst comes to the worst I'll detonate the Justice'? Sometimes I think he has an obsession with destroying machines, or himself!"

"So..." Kira dragged the word out, watching as the door opened and closed behind where Caggallie was standing, "Basically,you're going to make sure Athrun doesn't blow himself up?"

"_Again_." Caggallie added, then jumped as the figure Kira had already noted, but Caggallie had not, spoke in lightly offended tones.

"Should I resent that?"

"Athrun?" the way in which she spun so swiftly clearly displayed Caggallie's guilt, and the dirty look she shot Kira was an equal indicator of her annoyance at him, "You didn't tell me he was standing there!"

"I thought you knew." Kira grinned, enjoying the brief moment when Caggallie had no idea how to react, because _she_ didn't know how _Athrun_ was going to react.

"Not to worry," his friend spoke at last, when the silence had stretched to breaking point, "I promise I won't go destroying any more Gundams, at least, not whilst I have you as a passenger."

"That's right," Kira pounced on the fodder provided at once, "Whose doing stupid things now, Caggallie? You just agreed to _fly_ with the most notorious mobile suit destroyer in ZAFT!"

"I _do_ resent that," Athrun interrupted before Caggallie quite reached the explosive stage, "I'm sure there's someone else out there whose destroyed more than me."

"You're _both_ idiots, you know that," Caggallie snapped at last, taking them both by surprise as she launched forward, slinging an arm about each of them, and very nearly succeeding in knocking their heads together. Once she had them where she wanted she abruptly continued, "And you're both going to be careful, you understand me, Kira? In fact, on second's thought, maybe I'll get Lacus to put you on a leash. _She_ seems to have a better time controlling you than I do."

"Woof," Kira responded at once, earning a choked laugh from Athrun, who just managed to extract himself from Caggallie's grip before it became a stranglehold. Once he was certain Caggallie was not going to slap him Kira sobered, knowing there was not any more time to ignore the more serious subjects at hand, "You two are off, now, then?"

"Yeah," the smile vanished off Athrun's face as well, and Caggallie had begun to wring her hands, eyes darting anywhere but them. For a moment there was absolute quiet, none of them quite sure what to say, knowing there was so much unsaid, before at last Athrun simply extended his hand, head cocked slightly to the side as he smiled tentatively, "See you afterwards, Kira?"

"I'd better." he did not hesitate to take his friend's hand in a firm grip. His _friend_, because that was what the simple gesture signified, the fact that their friendship was still intact, even after everything, all the obstacles, the fights, the harm they had caused each other. It was still there, and even if there were things that needed to be resolved, discussions yet to be had, the amazing thing was they were still friends, and Athrun was acknowledging that, as well as the fact they may not _get_ to resolve things later.

Athrun nodded as he withdrew his hand, turning, though he paused halfway, "Caggallie?"

"I'm just coming," Caggallie gave a wave of her hand to tell him to go on without her, before turning back to Kira, hesitating a moment, before speaking slowly, "Kira..about Orb."

"Orb?" Kira was taken aback, so that he barely registered the sound of the door closing behind his friend, "Caggallie?"

"If I don't come back," she raised a hand to forestall his predictable argument, and he snapped his teeth shut with an audible crack, "You'll inherit the position of Chief Representative. So..."

"Caggallie, I don't think..." Kira could not believe what she was telling him, but she cut him off before he could go further with a sharp glare.

"So," she stated vehemently, "I'm just letting you know that, if that happens, you bloody well better not ruin my country, or I'll come back from the dead and kick your ass for it!"

* * *

"All systems are go," Miri sat back in satisfaction, pleased with her findings after running a diagnostic of the Archangel's transmission systems. They had not been fully up and running when they supported the Eternal in taking that base, but now, thanks to the efforts of Murdoch and the rest of his team, everything was ship shape. "We're good to go."

"Not bad," Tolle agreed at once, "Somebody should give the mechanic a raise."

"We have an expected time of departure of an hour and a half," Miri continued, ignoring the quip for a moment as she spoke over the ship's intercom, "All hands are to remain in their stations upon completion of the resupply and await further orders."

"You're getting kind of good at this," Sai commented lightly as she shut the mike off, "I guess it's true that practice makes perfect, huh?"

"I think we're all getting pretty good," Flay responded, for once without a boast in her voice, "We've been soldiers for so long now..."

"We're not really soldiers," Tolle argued, folding his arms as he spun about in his seat to face the pair sitting across from him, "More like rebels."

"We're in uniform, aren't we?" Flay retorted tartly, "And we signed up for the Orb Forces. Just because our nation has been overrun by ZAFT doesn't mean we're not part of the army anymore."

"She does have a point there, Tolle," Miri yawned,stretching her hands above her head and trying to relieve the tension in her shoulders, "But, after this is all over, I'm going to resign. Being a journalist was less stressful than this!"

"You were only a part time journalist," Tolle teased her, "How would you know? Though," he paused, sobering slightly, "It was hard telling my parents I was going into battle again."

"I certainly can't argue with that," Sai nodded, exhaling deeply, "But, really, we didn't have a choice. It's like what Kira did at Heliopolis, we have people we want to protect, and if we want to do that, we have no choice but to fight. It's not something we have to like, it's something we _have_ to do."

"But what happens when you have to kill to protect?" Miri whispered softly, "Does that still make us justified?"

"If there is no other choice? I think so, especially in this case," Tolle shrugged, "We can't just let the Earth die because we aren't willing to kill a few people. When it comes to other situations, I can't really say, but I'm sure about this! We _have_ to stop this, and if it means costing a few lives, I'll live with that burden, but I couldn't live with knowing I was able to do something and I let the world be destroyed."

"You're right, Tolle," Miri agreed at once, "We made a vow to help Miss Lacus defend hope, freedom, and justice, and we'll uphold that vow, right to the bitter end."

* * *

"Wow, ZAFT really pulled all the stops out for this baby." Heine patted the panel of the hall appreciatively, though Talia merely shook her head, apparently amused with the red elite's behavior, before turning to the pair who had volunteered to guide them around the vessel for Lacus, who had been called for final preparations to the Eternal.

"It is pretty spectacular," Mu agreed cheerfully, his mood largely influenced by the fact the hand he had about Murrue's waist had yet to be dislodged, "But I'm afraid I still prefer the good ol' Archangel. You love what you know, right?"

"Right," Talia's return smile was reserved, though Mu did not have to wonder why. Once upon a time the pair of them might have met on the battlefield as enemies, and even now that they were allies, trained instincts were hard to overcome. "But, the Archangel doesn't possess such a cannon as the Minerva, does it?"

"Nothing half so impressive, I'm afraid," Murrue responded calmly, "But, our task is only to keep the space around the Colony clear, not to help in the destruction of the Colony itself."

"Do you expect much resistance, then?" Heine had turned away from admiring the ship to join in the conversation, seeming untouched by the same hesitance that had affected Talia.

"Honestly, we don't know what to expect," Murrue admitted with a sigh, "There is too much going on here to be able to accurately predict what's going to happen, and, if we are truthful with ourselves, there is probably a higher chance we will fail than succeed in this endeavor."

"And yet still we try," Talia shook her head in a bemused fashion, "It makes one wonder if we human beings just don't know when to give up, when to finally accept the inevitable."

"It's only inevitable if we let it be," Mu growled, unconsciously tightening his grip around the woman beside him, "And I, for one, don't list that amongst my acceptable futures, not when it's something that should never have happened in the first place! Someone dropped that colony on purpose, whether to distract us or not, they still did it, and they're prepared to kill millions of people just to get their way. To leave the world in the hands of such maniacs..."

"I agree," the ZAFT captain gave a steady nod, "It's not acceptable, and we won't let it be inevitable."

* * *

"Are you so certain this is the right thing to do, Siegel?"

Lacus watched the conversation unfolding between her father's and Nichol's in silence, knowing already her father would not be dissuaded. He had made the decision to board the Minerva, to provide a presence on that ship that connected it to the rest of the force, that _made_ them a team, and he wasn't going to back down from that decision, not when his daughter would be on the battlefield anyway.

"I am," he replied quietly, but firmly, "Everyone else is marching, how can I, as their leader, remain behind?"

"I could go in your place..." the younger council member began, but he was cut off swiftly.

"No, Yuri, Eileen will have need of you in the PLANTs, you and Marchio both. Reasserting order there is almost as important as our own mission, and we will need a representative on the Defense Committee should Patrick fail to return."

"You think it is likely he will die out there?" Yuri sighed slightly, his shoulders drooping, but Siegel simply shook his head.

"I think it is likely we will all die," he uttered quietly, "But, if that is the case, we have to leave someone behind to carry on."

"You're right, yet again," Yuri gave a reluctant nod, before turning to step off the bridge, hesitating briefly as he glanced at Lacus, before simply saying, "The best of luck to you, Miss Clyne, and to you, Siegel, I do hope I am able to speak with you both again."

Without waiting for a response the councilor made his exit, Siegel moving to stand beside her, a gentle hand descending on her shoulder, "Are you all right, child?"

"I'll be fine, father," she smiled at him, the reassurances genuinely given, "I am a minister of peace, but in a time like this, I am prepared to take up the sword as well. I want to be there for those that have followed me and you, I don't want to hide away until this all over. I think pretty much everyone feels that way right now, isn't that right, Kira?" She turned to smile at the young pilot who had just stepped onto the bridge of the Eternal, Andrew and Martin only a step behind him.

"That's right," Kira agreed, despite most probably not having heard half of what she had said. He had not been kidding back at Heliopolis when he had told her he would act on her words without hesitance, it seemed, even when it simply came to agreeing with her. "Athrun and Caggallie have just gone," he announced shortly afterwards, "Captain Ramius and Mu are just showing the Minerva to it's crew, then we've got just over an hour before we launch."

"I had best head for the Minerva as well, good luck, Lacus, and to you all." Her father gave her shoulder a slight squeeze before removing his hand, nodding to all three of the pilots as he made his departure.

"Well, then," Andrew broke the silence before it could even settle, "I guess this is finally it. Martin, why don't you come with me and check out our new vessels? Wouldn't want to be shown up by these young 'uns now, would we?"

Martin scratched his head a moment, as though trying to figure out what his partner was saying, but he did not resist being tugged off the bridge, leaving the two youngsters alone, as the rest of the crew had yet to board.

"Kira?" Stepping forward somewhat hesitantly she halted directly across from him, ignoring Haro, who had chosen this moment to break his quiet spell and begin bouncing around in the background as she reached within the pocket of her dress, drawing forth the tiny, circular object, and pressing it into his hand. "I want you to have this."

"A ring?" he held it up between his forefinger and his thumb, studying the plain silver and amethyst surface, before turning questioning eyes on her, "Lacus...?"

"It's something precious of mine, to make sure you return," she answered simply, "I want it back, Kira, no matter what happens." For a moment there was silence, before abruptly she smiled, cocking her head to the side as she added, "I'd give you Haro, but he might distract you."

"Or knock me out!" Kira grinned, closing his fist tightly around the ring, "Thank you, Lacus, this means a lot to me."

"And you do to me," it was a bold statement to make, and she almost laughed at the way his mouth fell open, though she had to finish what she wanted to say, "So make sure you come back, all right?"

"I will," his voice was firm as he gently took her hand, giving it a slight squeeze, before releasing it and preparing to follow after Andrew and Martin, "_That's_ a promise."


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: The Team Reunited**

"What. The. _Hell_." Yzak stopped dead, for the first time in his life rendered completely speechless, whilst Dearka's jaw dropped several inches, his eyes bulging in their sockets. Rey, for his part, merely watched impassively, standing alongside both officers as Athrun took a step forward, the young woman only a stride behind, to utter a single word with the utmost serenity.

"Hi."

"You're...alive." It would probably go on record as the stupidest thing Yzak had ever said, but at that point he could think of nothing else. Dearka, meanwhile, just kept on opening and shutting his mouth whilst the rest of the crew on board tried to figure out what was going on. It was Rey who finally stepped forward and spoke, extending a hand in greeting.

"Athrun Zala, I presume?"

Athrun nodded, but did not have a chance to reply because Yzak suddenly recalled himself, and his temper.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Everyone in the room, excluding the comment's target, instinctively took a step back, Athrun merely regarding him calmly as he continued to rant, "AND WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING IN THE FIRST PLACE, GETTING IN THE WAY OF THAT BLAST!"

"I was rectifying a mistake," Athrun responded calmly, "And saving a friend."

"A friend?" Yzak halted in confusion, then something in his mind clicked, "Oh, wait, you mean the guy flying the Freedom?"

"The pilot of the Strike," Athrun nodded, apparently undeterred by the odd glances he was drawing from just about everyone in the room.

"Okay, I think I might be on a different planet," Dearka interjected, "What are you guys talking about?"

"Long story," Athrun smiled slightly, before gesturing to the person standing beside him, "This is Representative Caggallie Yula Attha of Orb, she's here to help us."

"Orb sent it's Representative?" Yzak started, surprised, though he did not particularly care for the glare the young woman was giving him, "Oh, what the hell! Who cares who they sent, so long as it's someone. Athrun, this here is Rey Za Burrel, the last pilot of my magnificent team, the rest of whom I'm sure you met on Earth with Talia. Now, to GENESIS."

"How are you planning to retake it?" Athrun asked immediately, falling into step beside him as they began to move out of the hangar.

Yzak frowned, he hated to have to admit he was at a complete loss, but this was an emergency, so he was forced to swallow his pride and speak honestly, "Quite frankly, I have no idea. The defenses of the GENESIS are so strong, we would be killed before we ever got a chance to land. The Akatsuki, er, it's a ship we retrieved from Artemis," he had to remind himself to add that, to remind himself Athrun hadn't been there. It was a disconcerting feeling, and one he tried to ignore as much as possible, "Was about the only thing that could get in there, and Rau's already gone."

"If the defenses are so good then how was it taken? Or was Rau behind this all along?" Athrun said quizzically. His question met with a resounding silence, affirmative answer enough. "Never mind, I guess we'll have to figure out exactly how much he was responsible for later. Tell me what you have so far."

"We'll show you," Dearka broke in, "I think we need to talk anyway," He cast a glance at the rest of those present, but Athrun did not work off that hint immediately, and instead turned to the Representative.

"Uh, do you mind? This should only take a moment."

"So long as you tell me what's going on," Caggallie shrugged lightly, "I don't mind waiting. I do realize this is still a ZAFT base, and as a member of an enemy nation I can hardly be allowed to walk around. Just show me somewhere where I can wait and I'll be happy to sit back until you guys are done."

"Thanks," Athrun cast her a grateful smile, before turning back to the others, "Yzak?"

"Rey can take here of her," he grunted in response, earning a slightly sharp look from the blond pilot that suggested he wasn't overly thrilled by the prospect, "Come on, we'll speak on the bridge."

Athrun nodded, resuming his position between Yzak and Dearka, quickly appraising the blonde man's uniform, "So, you're a Captain now, huh?"

"Yup," Dearka grinned good naturedly, "Yzak gets all the good promotions. Although, I think he only got pushed up the scale because Rau is now a Commander in Chief."Yzak snorted in disgust, but the motion went unnoticed as Dearka continued to talk as though nothing had happened, "The Chairman must like putting bastards in command or something, er, no offense, to _either_ of you."

"Speaking of Rau," Athrun tactfully changed the subject, though because it was treading too close to personal affairs of his own or whether he thought Yzak was on the verge of strangling Dearka was not quite clear. In the Commander's opinion, either would have been a sufficient excuse, "Where is he?"

"Not here, thank goodness!" Dearka gave a shudder, "Seriously, that guy just gets creepier and creepier! He's on the GENESIS, we think. I got the impression he didn't like our style much."

"Your style?" Athrun paused midstride, "You mean you rebelled _before_ Lacus called you?"

"Slow as ever, Zala," Yzak gave an offhand wave, "What? Did you seriously think either of us would just sit back and do nothing when that man is so clearly off his rocker?"

Athrun merely laughed in response, as undeterred as ever by Yzak's contemptuous comments, "Hey, I didn't think you were the type. After lecturing Nichol and Lacus like that..."

"Don't even start." Yzak shot him a death glare, though at the same time he was forced to acknowledge that this type of camaraderie had been absent of late. He had had his team, yes, but it wasn't the same as serving beside those soldiers one had studied with in Academy. Athrun was his rival, but at the same time they were friends who had worked alongside one another to attain their ranks, Dearka the same, and even Nichol to some extent. It had been that bond between comrades in arms that had been severed, something that no new team could replace, and though he was loathe to admit it, it _was_ something he had missed. "Besides, I'm not deserting, I am merely choosing which orders to follow and which to not."

"How _is_ Nichol, anyway?" Dearka asked, his thoughts apparently traveling along the same path as Yzak's, "I presume he was with you after you...?"

"He's fine," Athrun replied briefly, "And yes, I've been with the Orb army ever since I...'died'."

"And you never thought to contact us?" Yzak scowled, "Not even once? Not even to explain the reason why you tried to kill yourself?"

"I couldn't risk blowing my cover," Athrun shrugged, "Since everyone thought I was dead I could move safely anywhere I wanted, this helped, of course." He tapped the scar on his cheek, before continuing, "Besides, had my father discovered I was alive he might have known to safeguard against any breaking and entering."

"So, it _was_ you who rescued Yamato." Yzak stated, though it was a conclusion his subconscious mind had come to some time before.

"That's right," Athrun nodded, "Although most of the credit goes to Councilor Amalfi and Meyrin Hawk, they got us the layout of the base as well as security who would...dismiss our presence. If it hadn't been for them, we never would have had a chance."

"Whatever." Yzak only shrugged as they finally stepped out into the 'bridge' of the Boaz base, deserted for the moment, thanks to so many people ducking and running, before turning to face his old comrade squarely, "Anyway, I think you wanted to see what we have?"

* * *

By the time Rey had taken her to the observation deck, before dumping her there and opting to vanish as well, Caggallie was feeling a lot less charitable about having to wait for the others to come up with a plan to enter the GENESIS. She understood the fact she could not be allowed to wander around, and she also knew that those three, no matter what had happened since then, had once been a team, and still were, if one knew how to read the signs, and thus they would work better unhindered, but that didn't mean she had to like being left here to do nothing but twiddle her thumbs, or pace backwards and forwards and wish there was a carpet for her to wear through.

By her calculations it should be about the time the four vessels were taking off from Earth, with less than thirty six hours before the Seventh Colony posed a serious danger to the Earth, though, unfortunately, there was no way of knowing how much of a time limit they had with the GENESIS. That thought had the undesirable effect of making her sick with worry, and she hurriedly stopped her pacing, sitting down and trying to focus on something else, though her hands inevitable ended up on her collar bone, searching for the pendant that no longer hung there.

The stone had been a gift from Ahmed on her birthday, a few months short of his death, something she had seen as superstitious and silly at the time. A stone didn't bring someone luck,there was no such thing, it was a person's decisions that defined their fate, what they did, and what they chose _not_ to do. But, she couldn't very well say that to him after he had spent so much time searching for and then buying it, so she had accepted it, and worn it every day since. It had not occurred to her until much later that she had come out of one scrape after another unscathed ever since he gave it to her.

So, perhaps Ahmed's lucky charm had some worth after all, it had kept her safe despite more than one attempt on her life, and had kept her alive in battles when others did not survive. Perhaps it _was_ silly and superstitious to believe that the pendant had anything to do with it, but it had been a piece of Ahmed, and somehow, it had made her feel like he was watching over her. It was a protection of sorts, and thus the reason she had passed it on to the person she thought needed protecting the most.

She could only hope it was just as effective when around the neck of the world's biggest idiot of a mobile suit pilot.

* * *

"Where did you even _get_ all these codes anyway?" Dearka asked curiously, watching as Athrun implemented the plan for boarding the GENESIS he had begun formulating as soon as he heard the news of what Lacus intended to do, and blatantly oblivious to the fact Nichol had asked the very same question, as well as Athrun's relief that he had not had to answer. This time, however, he was given no way out, and he shifted uncomfortably before finally stammering a reply.

"I...well...I stole them."

"You _what_?" Yzak stared at him in amazement, as though he had never seen him before, though Athrun only glared back, stating somewhat defensively.

"It was a dare, okay?"

Yzak turned predictably to Dearka, who threw his hands up in the air, "It wasn't me!"

"No, it was Miguel and Rusty," Athrun smiled slightly, remembering days when not getting caught pranking, and grades, had been the only thing he had had to worry about. Those days had been a long time ago, during his stint in Academy, but the memories hadn't faded yet. "I stole them from my father's office, but I was too afraid to take them back. I don't think he ever even found out they were gone, or if he did I never heard about it. Rau Le Creuset holds the only other copy, but since they aren't used for much..."

"Nobody ever found out they were gone," Dearka grinned, "Wow, Athrun, I'm amazed. _You_ breaking the rules..."

"Shut it, Elsman," Yzak snapped, though Athrun could have sworn he was hiding a smile beneath that scowl, "We are working here, not playing!"

"Humph," Dearka crossed his arms and looked away, pretending to be affronted, and it was only then he caught sight of the presence Athrun had just noted himself, frowning at the blond pilot who had just stepped onto the bridge, "Hey, weren't you supposed to be with the Representative?"

Yzak swing around the moment Dearka spoke, scowling darkly whilst Athrun just looked on curiously, wondering exactly how much of a role this young pilot played in the team. Yzak had told him it was Gladys who chose to leave Rey behind, stating his equipment was better used in space, but Yzak had seemed of the impression there was more to it than that.

"You're hacking into the Genesis security systems?" Rey chose to remain oblivious to Yzak glare, addressing Athrun instead.

Seeing no harm in responding honestly Athrun simply nodded, "That's right. Why do you ask?"

"I can help."

"How?" Yzak asked, still scowling darkly, and clearly not at all pleased by the fact the pilot had interrupted without so much as a 'by your leave' to his commander.

"By giving you information on the group responsible," Rey replied calmly, "If you are willing to listen. I'm guessing you have already figured out Rau is behind all this?"

Yzak nodded curtly, still wary, but a little more civil, "How do you know this group?"

"Let's just say Rau and I know each other quite well," Rey grimaced slightly, "I know he has been plotting the downfall of all sides in this war for a long time, and he thinks in seizing the GENESIS he will be able to finally attain his goal."

"The downfall of _all_ sides?" Dearka frowned, spinning the seat beside Athrun around, before sitting down on it backwards and resting his elbows on the back of it, "What do you mean?"

"Rau Le Creuset is mentally unstable," Rey replied simply giving a slight shrug, "I have good reason to believe he was responsible for starting this war in the first place, but I shall not say why. In any case, I can tell you the force you are up against is no rookie bunch. They are well trained, professional terrorists. They call themselves Blue Cosmos, and they receive their orders directly from the Supreme Commander. Their numbers vary, but I know there are at least thirty of them, all crack shots and excellent pilots."

"Wonderful," Dearka muttered under his breath, "Mad men who hire professionals."

"Don't worry, we have professionals too," Athrun replied firmly, swinging about in his seat and beginning to type on the computer once again. He could get into GENESIS security, he was sure of it, there wasn't time for failure, not with his father aboard that thing.

"Right," Dearka straightened, "Remind me again what exactly you are doing?"

Athrun smiled again, all too happy to oblige, "I'm changing the Genesis security systems so that every ship in this squad is recognized as friendly, _and _so that we don't trigger so much as a single warning."

"Clever." Yzak grudgingly admitted, sitting down on Athrun's other side, and casting Dearka a glare for his own uncouth manner of seating.

"Only if it works," Athrun sighed, frowning as he watched the data flow across the screen in front of him, "They could still overwrite it if they noticed soon enough, and if they're good enough on a computer."

"So, in other words, we could be flying into certain death?" Dearka asked dryly.

Athrun nodded honestly, but Yzak only shrugged, stating bluntly, "With _this_ team, when are we ever doing anything else?"


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Step Towards the Coda**

ZAFT's base on the moon was somewhat insubstantial, due to the fact the moon had always been more the domain of the Earth Forces, and because most of the troops there had been redeployed the moment the Earth was taken. Despite being an almost neighbor to the Earth Forces Base, the ZAFT forces stationed on the moon had never entered into a conflict with their neighbors, not even now, but Patrick could not help but be a little bit disappointed at the clear lack of security. The moon base had been neglected by the PLANTs for some time, and it now appeared that course of action was in need of a remedy, though it could hardly be at the top of his priority list for the moment, so he brushed the fact that instantly occurred to mind away in order to greet the blond haired, blue eyed man in the uniform of a ZAFT green who came forward to meet him.

"Mister Chairman," there was a hint of mockery in that tone, but Patrick forced himself not to react to it, knowing many of the things he had done may very well have warranted such treatment. Siegel had warned him many of the ZAFT forces had been harshly disillusioned in reference to their Chairman, and that not all faces may still be friendly. It was an obstacle, to be certain, but one he was confident he could overcome with just a little patience, "We received your message from Orb, and your shuttle has been prepared. I trust you had a _pleasant _flight?"

"Now, then, do not be discourteous, soldier," the interjection prevented Patrick's attempt to respond, and he turned to mark with some surprise the presence of the white uniform, cool gold eyes meeting his squarely, though with a more marked amount of respect than the other, "Forgive his boldness, Mister Chairman," the dark haired man stated politely, "He is new here, as many of them are, but what he says is true. Given the nature of your message I understand you are in some hurry, so the shuttle is already ready to depart, we wait only on your word. I myself will be escorting you to the GENESIS on the bidding of the Supreme Commander, I trust that accommodation is to you're approval?"

"It's fine," he wasn't really surprised Rau had wanted him watched, in fact he had almost expected it, and it boded well for drawing the man's attention away from the doings of the others, "Take me to the shuttle, we shall make our exit at once."

"As you wish, Mister Chairman," the officer touched his cap briefly, before turning and gesturing with one hand, "This way, if you please?"

Patrick nodded and hurried in the direction his guide had indicated, failing to notice as he did so the slight spattering of blood and bullets that marked one door of the hallway, or the bodies of those men who had guarded the station hidden in the room within.

* * *

After reprograming every single piece of the security program on GENESIS, and then explaining the scheme to Caggallie, who was down in the weaponry receiving a pistol and whatever else they happened to equip her with, Athrun had retreated to the pilot locker room to await Yzak and Dearka, both of whom had final checks to make both with the personnel on the Boaz station and with the Supreme Council of the PLANTs. Not that it was likely the PLANTs would be able to respond, but Yzak had decided, and Athrun was inclined to agree with that decision, that they still had to try and inform the PLANTs of the situation at hand if they could, even if it wasn't likely anybody would take the time to open the report once it was sent.

The situation on the PLANTs was a major source of concern for them all, because even if they pulled this off flawlessly, a doubtful set of events, no less, there was still an open rebellion to be dealt with upon returning to the PLANTs. Granted, the appearance of the Clynes in the colonies might prevent much of that, but if both of them happened to die on this battlefield, then the chaos would go unchecked. Eileen Canaver was doing her best to remedy the situation, as a now openly declared member of the Faction she was one of the few people who were relatively safe, and Yuri Amalfi was on his way back to aid her, but they were only two people, and against such a rabble it was doubtful, at best, that they could make a difference. The people of the PLANTs were drawing closer to knowing the truth, and each step they took sent them into a fresh frenzy of rage. If the cycle continued things could get nasty, and Athrun didn't like to think of the consequences they might have to face if, _when_ they returned.

"Does your father know you're alive?"

Athrun jumped, swinging around to meet the cool, blue eyes of the speaker, before relaxing his stance, inwardly berating himself for taking such little attention of his surroundings, then realizing he had not yet answered the question. Rey was strangely unperturbed by the lack of answer, merely waiting, and eventually Athrun gave a slow nod.

"Yes," he answered quietly, and honestly, "Yes, he does."

"I see," Rey sighed, opening the door to his locker and retrieving his helmet from it's interior, "I never even knew my father."

"I'm sorry." Athrun could think of nothing more to say, wondering exactly where this conversation was going, and Rey only shrugged in response.

"I don't even know who he was, and I didn't know my mother, either, my birth mother, at least, not until she told me herself who she was. I'm not sure which one of us was more surprised," he paused, before proceeding, "She told me about my brother as well, a man who was submitted to experiments supposedly for the 'good of humanity', yet experiments that drove him over the edge, so that now it is impossible to reason with him."

"Your brother?" Athrun frowned, pausing as he cast Rey a thoughtful glance, taking in the features of his face, the long blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes, before he gasped, "You mean...?"

"That's right," Rey turned away so his face was hidden by his hair, "Not exactly a relation you would boast about, is he?"

"I guess that explains why you knew him so well," Athrun leant against the locker, regarding the other pilot sympathetically, "The others don't know, do they? Why did you tell me?"

"Because you need to know," Rey turned back to face him, "You need to know exactly how much of a hand he had in deliberately destroying your family. It was _he_ who commissioned those killers to murder Lenore Zala, because he knew it would change your father. It was a deliberate act to destroy a man, so he could use him for his own will. He was also responsible for the murders in the Earth Forces and Orb, a man who commissions others to kill for him, and yet still has no qualms about taking a life himself."

"He was responsible for all that?" Athrun reeled at the news the very man he had served under had been the one responsible for shattering his life, and he leant back against the nearest locker, trying to steady himself against such a revelation, and against the larger picture, the picture that painted Rau as the villain master mind behind this whole war, behind all the bloodshed, the suffering, and the death. "How do you know?"

"I don't have any proof," Rey admitted slowly,turning his helmet over in his hands in a nervous gesture, though his face was entirely calm. Athrun struggled to figure out which one of those signs was the true indicator of the other pilot's current emotions, but failed to come to any real conclusion. "But I believe it to be the case, mostly from things he has said to me himself. He wants revenge for what was done to him, and he's going to try and take down the whole world to do it."

"What _was_ done to him?" Athrun dreaded asking that question, though he dreaded the answer more.

"I don't really know," the blond youth frowned pensively, his eyes focussed on nothing in particular, "He never really did make a lot of sense in that respect. He talked a lot about being molded into a key, about how he was to be the future of humanity, but how he failed, or was a failure. My mother seemed worried that whoever did that to him was still out there, and that they might try it again, and Rau seemed to believe the same thing. So, maybe, he's trying to get revenge on those people, or, he's simply trying to make the whole world pay. He seems to hold at least half of it responsible for what has happened to him."

"But," Athrun sighed, pushing himself upright, "If he really is insane, this is going to be so much more difficult. We aren't fighting a rational enemy here at all."

"Is anybody ever really rational in war?" Rey let the comment hang a moment, finishing adjusting his suit before proceeding down the same line of thought, "From what I have seen, war is a horror that turns heads with a frightening regularity. How many good people make irrationally irresponsible decisions during such a time? War is an effective tool of chaos that turns everything on it's head, and for those who profit from such a gesture, it is an efficient money making scheme. It might be of benefit to note that the benefactors of Blue Cosmos are mostly those involved in the producing of war products, weapons, and various other instruments used in battle. That gives you the key to Rau's ease in manipulating that organization to his will, though it does make me wonder how many other pies he has sunk his fingers into. He is a formidable opponent indeed, at least," he paused, blue eyes crystal clear, and cold as ice, "For a mad man."

"Do you have any idea what he might want the GENESIS for?" Athrun asked slowly, treading cautiously due to the uncertainty of the terrain. He was not sure what to make of the young man standing before him, and whereas with Shin he had been able to see his own mistakes reflected back at him, here was a wholly different puzzle, and one so complex he was not sure he would ever have had a chance to unravel it all, let alone now, whilst time conspired against them.

"Rau always did love the dramatic entrance and exit," there was a tight smile that accompanied those words, tight, and grim, "It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he wants to take the world with him." He did not wait for a response to that, simply turning to walk out the door, halting just before it and tilting his head so he could see the other, "What I told you was told in confidence, nobody else needs to know."

"I understand," And Athrun did, he cold not imagine what it must be like knowing that man was your kin. It had been hard enough believing his father was a cold blooded murderer, but this went beyond murder, it was almost genocide, to have _deliberately _caused a war. " You have my word not to tell anyone."

"And _you_ have my thanks." Rey smiled briefly, then stepped outside the door, leaving Athrun alone to digest what he had been told.

* * *

"Shin, are you all right?" Luna frowned at her comrade, who, over the course of the last ten minutes, had risen and sat down about twenty times over, picked his helmet out of the air and let it drift again at least twice as much, and taken to wringing his hands so hard she was sure he would wrench them out of their sockets. It was erratic behavior for the normally blasé pilot, and she could not help but comment on it, though the look exchanged with Heine told her he had been about to do the same.

"I'm fine," Shin responded curtly, sitting back down for the umpteenth time and slamming his helmet down on his lap, "Just fine."

"You know," Heine began simply, "If you're worried you can't do this, we could always swap machines..."

"You haven't had practice with the Impulse," Shin protested at once, with a surprisingly practical argument, "Besides, Captain Zala gave _me_ the mission briefing, and boy, was it thorough."

"One would expect it from him," Luna pointed out, "He graduated at the top of his class."

"So did I." Shin made a point of reminding her that, though Heine was quick to deliver a retort, even if it was shielded beneath the smooth, polite tone of his words.

"Ah, but you are speaking of piloting skills, are you not? Athrun Zala excelled in every aspect of the Academy training. I should know, I was one of those responsible for recording the scores. His abilities were phenomenal, as were those of the rest of the team that were sent against Heliopolis, though his talent for both ground and air combat, as well as tactical skills, were higher than most. _He_ graduated as the elite overall, not just of one class, and though the mission reports might argue against it, his team did achieve a large amount of successes. I hear he was behind the plotting of the entire mission you are flying, Shin."

"He certainly knew what he was doing, I guess," Shin grumbled, glaring at the top of his helmet, "And he was very meticulous about explaining _every_ single little detail that could possibly go wrong. Some encouragement that is."

"You needed to know," Luna sighed, beginning to feel fidgety herself as the minutes passed. It was not too long at all now before they would have to go out into battle, though their lot was perhaps not as bad as the others. They, along with what pilots were in the Kusanagi, would enter the colony and begin attempting to break it up, it would be up to the Archangel and the Eternal to actually fight the battle they believed was inevitable. "How much longer is it, Heine?"

"A half an hour, maybe less, we've made good time," moving from his standing position the oldest member of the trio came over to sit himself opposite them both, "I imagine it will get pretty rough pretty quickly once it comes, and you'll be on your own, Shin."

"You don't have to remind me," the youngest pilot muttered darkly, before lifting his gaze to stare back at them both defiantly, "Don't worry, I'll pull this off. Like you said, Heine, I graduated at the top of my piloting class, I _can_ do this, and I'll prove it."

"I hope so," Heine merely nodded, "Because right now, we _are_ counting on you."

* * *

"Bridge, this is Kira, the Saviour is primed for launch, awaiting your signal."

"Roger that, Saviour," Miri's voice came back strong and confident, "Standby for launch."

"Hey, kid," Mu interjected, before Kira could respond, "You're beating me at my own game, here! Lieutenant La Flaga, I'm also ready, bridge."

"Copy that," Miri sounded distinctly amused, "We're breaking away from the other two vessels now, the Captain wants you to launch the moment we are above the Colony...It's...pretty impressive, Kira."

"I know," and it was, even portrayed on the miniscule screen of the Saviour it was easy to see just how impressive the Seventh Colony was, and just how much of a threat. He hadn't had a chance to stop and admire the view on his first visit here, and he almost wished he didn't this time, though what chance he had was swiftly torn away as he frowned, noticing something almost obscured by the darkness that shrouded the colony. "Lieutenant, is that a _mobile suit_ behind that tower?"

"A mobile suit? It can't be, they're ZAFT's creation..." Mu began, but his voice soon trailed off as Murrue's voice boomed over the intercom.

"Enemy sighted. We have confirmation, three mobile suits and an unnamed enemy vessel. The Eternal is going to flank it from the starboard side, we'll take care of the mobile suits. Are you two ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," Mu answered, adding in a low mutter, "Though how the hell we expect to get out of this one, I don't know."

"Hey," Kira argued, even as he hit the buttons necessary to activate the launch sequence, "You can't back out now, not after you said..."

"Yeah, kid, I know," Mu had activated the video feed just in time for Kira to catch the two fingered salute, "I'm the man who makes the impossible possible. Well, I guess this is finally my chance to prove it. You good to go?"

"I'm good," Kira nodded, "Bridge, this is Kira Yamato, Saviour, launching!"

* * *

Yzak ran over the systems of the Destiny one last time, checking, and rechecking the system within the state of the art unit, right down to every last plug. In spite of what he had said before this was by far the most dangerous mission he had ever embarked on, and he wanted to make sure absolutely _nothing_ hindered his chances of success. Satisfied with the results of his analyses he finally shut down the diagnostic system and slipped his helmet over his head, activating the engines before opening the com-line.

"Roll call time," He said lightly, "Dearka?"

"Here, cap-oh, I mean, _Commander_."

Yzak rolled his eyes at his friends sniggering, still not quite sure how Dearka could make his promotion such a long lasting joke, before continuing, "Attha, try not to break that mobile suit, would you?"

"Why you arrogant, stuck up, full of yourself...!"

"Caggallie, not now!" Athrun's timely interjection cut off whatever expletives had been about to follow, and led Yzak to the last member of his quartet.

"Zala. Remember, _I_ am in command. You do as I say when and where I say it, got that?"

"Lighten up, Yzak," Dearka immediately leapt in, "Athrun can't help it if he is naturally better then you..."

"IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP I'LL SEND YOU IN FIRST!"

This outburst caused the captain to fall silent, and managed to amuse the Representative enough to earn a short bark of laughter he diplomatically managed to convince himself to ignore.

"All right, then," Yzak spoke once he had recomposed himself, "All units accounted for. _Joule _Team, ready for take off."

"Roger that," The transmission girl's voice came over the line, "Joule Team, you are cleared to launch...Good luck."


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: A Drop of Blood**

"This is crazy!"

It was an assessment Kira could not argue, for what had confronted them when they exited the launch bay had been anything but what they had expected. How the Earth Forces had developed three entirely new mobile suits equal to the Saviour in technology, not to mention finding pilots who could fly them, when they had so clearly been on the ropes was beyond him. The only possible explanation was that the Earth Forces desperation had been a ruse, that they had never had to seek shelter on the Seventh Colony in the first place, and that they had had these things in production all that time. If that was the case it meant their sole purpose in agreeing to the alliance with Orb had been to gain the Minerva, and seeing how advanced the carrier for these three suits was, Kira couldn't see that as a viable explanation either. So, how the hell had this all happened?

Fighting a three on two battle, with Mu in a considerably less advanced machine, was not the time to seek an answer for that question, though he would dearly have liked to know, even as he raised his shield to block the blow from one of the strange vessels, firing back only to curse when his blast was deflected off the shields the enemy had closed about it's form.

"Damn it! Where did they get these things?" There was no response to his answer, only the shuddering of his vehicle as he slammed his sword against one of his enemies, dodging around the blasts of another, and swinging to escape the scathing scythe of the third, reconnecting with Mu with that one last, desperate movement, "It's like fighting against Coordinators!"

"I agree," Mu sounded out of breath, despite the fact they had not been engaged in battle that long, and Kira could not blame him, "Something is way out of whack here."

"Has there been any news from within the Colony?" It was difficult to keep up a conversation when one was constantly being bombarded with relentless assaults, but Kira did so anyway, struggling to escape yet another trap set by the tenacious threesome. He really should have asked Athrun's advice on piloting this type of machine before he took it into battle, but there had been no time, _never_ enough time.

"Nothing," Mirriallia answered in the negative, "No...wait, what?"

"What is it?" Mu demanded, sweeping in to save Kira from a blast at his back, before having the favor returned as Kira used the Saviors' shield to block a sneak attack.

"There are mobile suits _within_ the colony as well," Meyrin announced from the Eternal, "They're destroying the meteor breakers!"

"Damn it!" Kira slammed into his enemy, at the same time shouting at Mu, "We have to get down there and help!"

"Now, hold on, kid," the Lieutenant argued at once, "We go down there and we take this lot with us as well!"

"I know that, but..." Lacus' father was down there, on the Minerva, and with only two real suits to defend them both the Minerva and the Kusanagi would be at a serious disadvantage. "Nichol and the others can..."

"Nichol and the others don't have the machines to fight these three, and you know that!" Mu told him sharply, ducking and diving across the battlefield in spite of continuing the argument, "Plus, they need to cover the Eternal. The others will have to watch out for themselves, remember, even they are not the real mission here! All they have to do is draw attention away from that ZAFT kid."

"Yes, but..."

"Kira," the fact Lacus had most likely been able to hear the entire argument had not occurred to him until now, and he was taken aback to hear her voice on the radio, though he should have expected it, given she had taken the seat of captain aboard the Eternal, "They can hold," she told him simply, "I am confident they can hold. We must keep the enemy here as best as we can, or else whatever sacrifices they make will be for nothing."

"Fine," Kira sighed, his exhale cut short as he was jolted about the cockpit, "I just hope they _can_ hold, otherwise this will _all_ be for nothing."

* * *

"I can't hold them!" Luna bit back a scream as her machine was thrown back to the floor of the colony with enough force to rattle her teeth, the black, almost catlike mobile suit descending on her with deadly intent, though she was just able to launch out of the way before the sabers sliced through her cockpit, "They're going to destroy the meteor breakers!"

"We can hold!" Heine protested her firmly, "We _have_ to hold. The Minerva and the Kusanagi are counting on us!"

"But, where did these machines come from?" Luna argued, blocking a vicious attack from the cat-like suit, before reversing abruptly only to slam into the back of the enemy that had been pursuing Heine, and being forced to almost scrabble for safety. This was not her idea of a fair battle, or a battle they could ever hope to win, and she was seriously beginning to doubt the wisdom of ever coming here. This place was one of death and destruction, without question, it had been in the past and it was now, so nothing had changed.

"I don't _know_," Heine admitted, force added to his final word as he finally succeeded in pushing the green machine back, "They are good though, but then, so are we. Isn't that right, Luna?"

"I graduated as an elite," a duck, a swipe, and a swift backtrack. She managed to just knock the other suit aside with her shield, and _that_ was the most contact she had achieved so far, "But, from what I have seen, so have these guys!"

"They knew we were coming as well," Heine was fighting two of them now, leaving the black one for her alone, and for that she was grateful, for she did not believe she could have taken two on for much longer. Heine's skill was above hers, she did not deny that, and this enemy pilot might just be as well. "That gave them a decided advantage. Ha! Take that!"

"Good hit!" Luna enthused, watching as one half of the blue machine's cannons were blown away, "Now, if I could just nail this one!"

She didn't even get a chance to try, moving back quickly as the alarm signaled in her cockpit, and a moment later a sharp beam of light permeated the air where she had been a moment before. The Minerva had apparently decided it was time to intervene, and the destructive beam of the Tannhauser carved it's merciless path through the enemy, slicing a good portion off the catlike suit, though it had not succeeded in the goal of complete decimation.

"I've got you now!" Taking the opportunity in both hands Luna charged forward, pouncing on the wounded suit like a hungry tiger, her blade slicing off one of the four legs, though the enemy pilot had recovered sufficiently enough to escape the rest of her unforgiving attack. "Heine, that other one is going after the Minerva!"

"I see it. So, you thought you could sneak by, did you?"

Her comrade acknowledged, already swinging his machine around to prevent the eventuality, the rockets fired from his cannon drawing their green enemy up short, before it was forced to dive to avoid a second blast from the Minerva, backed up by the Kusanagi's own cannons. Luna let out a breath of relief at seeing the ship safe, before letting out a cry as her opponent, taking advantage of the distraction, slammed into her machine, using the blunt force of the impact to drive her down. Luna noted with alarm the buckled metal of her shield, watching as more areas on the screen began to glow red, but spun quickly enough to avoid a second assault, slicing another leg off the enemy, bringing it back down to two.

"Heine, I'm running low on power! And my suit is really badly damaged...!"

"Just hold out a little while longer," the strain in the older pilot's voice was clearly audible, and Luna realized he was facing off against both the others again, "We have to protect the Minerva and the Kusanagi long enough for Shin to finish his mission!"

"I know that, but I don't know if I can take them for much longer!" The enemy dove at her again, and, in an act of desperation, Luna met that charge head on, placing her blade before her as she leapt forward, using the momentum of the enemy to drive the weapon deep within the black suit. For a moment nothing happened, then once more she found herself flying through the air, tossed about the cockpit by the explosion of the enemy suit. She felt her head crack against the side of the cockpit, and was dimly aware through swirling vision that the visor had cracked, though for some reason, that image was nowhere near as clear as that which now appeared on her screen.

She watched the events play out in slow motion, watched as the power in Heine's machine failed, as he fought desperately against the blue machine before him, never once noticing the green one creeping up behind. She watched, unable to do a thing, as the enemy drew it's blade and sliced cleanly through the centre of her comrade's cockpit, through her _comrade_, and only then did the shield cocooning her break, the sense of hearing returning just in time for her to hear her own scream of despair.

"Heine! NO! You _bastards_! I won't let you!" Already knowing in the more rational part of her mind that it was too late she drove forward recklessly, ignoring Talia's hail to stay back, to return to the ship whilst she still had enough power to. It was rage that drove her now, only rage, and the last thing she saw before she reached her two opponents was a solid wall of red.

* * *

The GENESIS may have been a weapon of destruction, but the interior of the thing was far from inhospitable, in fact, despite the fact it had been almost entirely constructed of metal, there were signs of creature comforts nearly everywhere, something that Yzak found sickeningly ironic. Thanks to Athrun's tinkering the force had been able to land unhindered, and, although still slightly uneasy about their unchallenged entrance, they were proceeding according to plan.

"Touch wood," Dearka muttered, peering around yet another corner, before motioning to the rest of the team, "Why did they have to make the stupid thing so big?"

"Probably so people like you would lose your way," Yzak retorted shortly, his nerves making his already snappish temper even worse, "Shut up and keep moving!"

"Geez, what's eating you?" Dearka grumbled in response.

"Nothing," Yzak responded quickly, before continuing in spite of himself, "Don't you think it's a little odd we got in here so easily?"

"Now that you mention it," Dearka paused, turning back to face those following him, "Yeah, I do."

The entire team came to a halt when they overheard the last part of this comment, and Caggallie took it upon herself to state the obvious in tones of cool disdain.

"You mean we could be walking right into a trap?"

"That was always a possibility," Athrun pointed out "I thought we knew that."

"Yes, but this is a bit _too_ easy," Yzak challenged him at once, "Rey said they were professionals, they should be more careful than this. It's almost like they want us here."

"But why would they want us here?" Athrun wondered aloud, "It doesn't make any sense!"

"Yes, it does," Rey interrupted quietly, "They want us to break in, they will then capture us and force us to witness the destruction of the world, before killing us as well. We already know Rau is mad, so why should such a useless gesture surprise you?"

"Then...what should we do now?" Caggallie spoke slowly, glancing down the hallway as if expecting the enemy to show up at any moment, "If this _is_ a trap I hardly wish to be caught in it."

"We don't have much choice, I'm afraid," Yzak spoke gravely, cursing himself for having taken this long to notice. "If we try and leave they will most certainly blast us into oblivion. We shall continue, however, we will do so cautiously, and not the way they think we will." He paused rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "We'll double back to the hangar bay and try and find another way to the control center, hopefully, that way we will elude capture as long as possible."

"It's worth a shot," Dearka shrugged, "Let's go."

Turning the group began to cautiously retrace their steps, all the while on high alert for even the slightest sign of an enemy. But the hallways and rooms about them remained empty, devoid of life, and they remained unnoticed and unchallenged until the reached the hangar bay. They had barely stepped out into the huge room, however, before Dearka swiftly back stepped, crunching Yzak's toes in the process and causing his commander to whack him sharply over the head. Nobody dared rebuke him verbally, on the other hand, when they saw what it was that had made him backtrack.

"Damn," Yzak muttered, scowling at the soldiers standing guard about the mobile suits in the hangar, "They must have wanted to make sure we couldn't leave."

"There is only three of them," Dearka hissed back, "We can take 'em."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Caggallie spoke up tersely, her face grim, "Those are machine guns they have, we'd be dead before we even got a chance to fire."

Dearka cursed under his breath, before asking the inevitable question no one actually wanted voiced, "So...What do we do now?"

"I guess we are stuck going the way they want us to go," Yzak growled, his face reflecting just how angry he was, "Come on, let's go."

"Wait a moment," Athrun stopped them in their tracks, he was frowning deeply, a look of confusion and worry etched on his face, "Was there a shuttle here when we landed?"

"No, I don't think so," Caggallie replied, after only a moment's thought, "Come to think of it there weren't any vessels. Why?"

"Because, unless I am very much mistaken, there is one there right now."

"Does it matter?" Yzak interrupted impatiently, "There could be a whole army there and we still wouldn't be able to do a single damn thing about it! Le Creuset has outsmarted us at every turn, he always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else."

"Look," Athrun sighed, dashing a hand quickly through his hair in a rare gesture of frustration, "Standing here talking is not going to get us anywhere. We might as well spring this trap sooner as later, right?"

"Right," Dearka grinned, "Let's go see the kitty."

"Kitty?" Caggallie blinked at him in confusion, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's a bit of cat and mouse, right?" Dearka flashed her a smile, ignoring the look of complete and utter disgust Yzak inflicted on him, before turning and beginning to lead the way back down the tunnel.

* * *

Blissfully oblivious to what was going on outside Shin tightened his grip around the controller of his machine, edging it first to the right, and then to the left, at the same time wishing it was possible to simply crawl along. But the Impulse had never been designed to travel slowly, and he had no choice but to act solely as his honed instincts told him, with mere seconds to adjust to the bends in the dark shaft, his only clue as to what was coming next the data he had entered into the Impulse's system. He might as well have been flying blind, for all the good the lighting did him, and he had already had several close calls. The shaft had not gone through such abuse without taking on damage, and as Athrun had warned him, there were many areas that had caved in, damage he had had to swerve at the last minute to avoid. It was absolute, pure relief that washed over him when the walls about him suddenly opened up into an enormous, empty chamber, though that relief lasted only a millisecond, if that, before shock, horror, and utter dread settled in a sickening layer in the pit of his stomach.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?"

That exclamation was not vent enough for his feelings at the current time, but he could say no more, unable to do anything but stare at the unbelievable sight unfolding before his eyes. For, right here, in the very centre of the colony, was a production facility, a production facility for mobile suits. It was unbelievable that such a thing should have been created here, that such a thing should even exist to begin with, and the realization of what it's presence could mean was enough to halt him in his tracks, almost enough to make him not notice the behemoth launching from one of the hangars in time to dodge the barrage of fire that suddenly shot his way.

"What _is_ that thing?"

Even as he activated the other parts of the Impulse, merging his vessel together, Shin could not help the question that naturally came to mind, for the vessel down below him was at least ten times the size of a normal mobile suit. So large, in fact, that it could never have made it out of the colony by the shaft, which either meant there was another way out of here, or that this machine had been designed for the sole purpose of destroying anything that got _in_. That latter was a disheartening thought, but Shin did not allow it to affect him, merely activating his targeting console as he settled his hands on the controls, taking a deep breath, before uttering in the calmest tone he could muster.

"Come on then, you bastard, show me what you got."

The only problem with that statement, on the other hand, was that the enemy was all too willing to oblige.

* * *

"Strange, I would have thought we'd have been apprehended by now," Yzak glared at the opening ahead, which marked the entrance to their target as if it was to blame for all their troubles, and whilst Athrun could not agree on that count, he felt Yzak was right on the other. So far, aside from those men in the hangar, they had not seen a single soul marching round this place, and that alone was enough to set every hair standing on end. What exactly was Rau playing at here? "Surely they aren't going to let us all the way in before they nab us?"

"Maybe it isn't a trap at all." Dearka suggested hopefully, with such ridiculous optimism that Athrun almost shared Yzak's reaction to give the tanned pilot a wholly unflattering glare.

"They had guards on the mobile suits, remember?" Caggallie reminded him bluntly, "Depend upon it, they know we are here."

"So, then, we just walk straight in?" Dearka asked cheerfully, this time earning an even darker look from his commander.

"What? Are you a complete and total imbecile, then? Why don't you just point the gun at your head yourself and pull the trigger?"

"Oh, don't turn this thing into a fight!" Caggallie interjected furiously, "You're both acting like idiots!"

"Is that so? Well, listen here, _Miss_ Attha, I don't hear you coming up with any bright ideas, so shut your mouth and let us figure this out!"

"The only thing _you're_ figuring out is how _not_ to improve your manners, Mr. Arrogance, and let me tell you something, I..."

It was amazing how quickly the conversation deteriorated, but not quite so amazing that Athrun couldn't easily tune it out. He had been doing the same thing for Yzak and Dearka's arguments ever since they had been in academy, and Caggallie's addition was not quite enough to make him take interest. So, whilst this 'conversation' was going on he crept forward towards the opening, peering inside so he could just catch sight of a few of the personnel in the vicinity. From this vantage point it was possible to see the five or six men seated at the various consoles controlling the Genesis without being seen, though there were probably more out of his eye sight. That fact flickered to life in his mind for but a moment, before abruptly being tossed aside as his eyes fixed on the man seated in the commander's chair. It wasn't Rau, as he had expected, but neither was it a stranger, and in that instant Athrun found himself frozen in place, a cold wave of pure terror washing over him with a paralyzing effect he had not experienced for years. For a moment he could not move, glued to the spot, staring in absolute horror at the all too familiar face before he was finally able to tear himself away, stumbling back into the corridor so that he bumped into Yzak before sliding down the wall and wrapping his arms about himself.

"Athrun?" The argument forgotten for the moment, Dearka's voice showed only concern, "Hey, are you okay?"

Athrun shook his head, unable to formulate a verbal response, and vaguely aware of the fact he was in shock. To be truthful he felt anything but okay, in fact he felt sick to his stomach, and he was sure he had broken out into a cold sweat. That face had brought back all sorts of memories he would much rather forget, memories he had tried to forget for years, and yet now came back with such resounding clarity they had rendered him helpless. Frowning at his response Caggallie peered surreptitiously about the corner, clearly not understanding what had shaken him so badly as she turned back to him.

"What is it?" She asked gently, exchanging glances with the other two, "Athrun, what's wrong?"

"T-that man..." Athrun stuttered slightly, fighting to compose himself, and trying to still the trembling that wracked his body.

"The guy in command?" Caggallie prompted, and he nodded.

"What about him?" Yzak asked impatiently, his nerves clearly drawn to their limit, "Spit it out already, Zala! Who is he?"

"A _monster_," Athrun's voice was tightly constricted, and when he lifted his head he knew the tears in his eyes were clearly visible, "That man is the person who killed my mother."


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Demons of the Past and Present**

Rau certainly knew how to push people's buttons, Patrick concluded sourly, even when he was not there, and even when the people knew their buttons were being pushed. The shuttle launch from the moon had been delayed thanks to news of a battle going on around the Seventh Colony, and he had actually had to pull rank to get the vessel to take off, only to find, once he arrived, that Rau expected to keep him waiting on the shuttle until he was done with whatever it was he was doing. It was a delay that infuriated him on many levels, first of all because Rau really had no right to keep him waiting, and secondly, because if he _was_ being kept waiting it meant Rau was focussing his attention elsewhere, and it did not take more than a few moments to decide where that somewhere was likely to be.

"It will not be much longer now, Mister Chairman," the white uniformed officer was the only one who had remained with him, the others having vanished, either to other sections of the shuttle, or onto the GENESIS itself. It did not bother the Chairman really, this one was better than the other, but it did make him wonder what the rest of the crew was up to, for it had not been a small force that was sent to escort him, "Commander Le Creuset merely wishes to deal with the insurgents responsible for taking the GENESIS before you set foot on the weapon. I am sure he does not want any harm to befall you, Mister Chairman."

"Of course," it took all his willpower to prevent himself from grinding his teeth, but he restrained himself, reminding himself of the reason he was here to begin with. It was his own mistakes that had led him down this path, and now he was trying to rectify those mistakes, something he could certainly not do if he allowed his temper to get the better of him now, "How much longer do you expect him to be?"

"Not too much longer, Mister Chairman," even that respectful term was beginning to wear on his nerves, but he could hardly rebuke the officer for that, "My men are just making sure it is safe, then you may disembark. Forgive me, Mister Chairman," he added after a moment's thoughtful silence, "But what is the exact purpose of this facility?"

"Self defense." he muttered, not really concentrating on the conversation. What _could_ be taking Rau so long? Unless, unless the Joule Team had already landed and he had..._No_, that wasn't possible, he told himself firmly. Both Athrun and Yzak were by no means foolish enough to walk into a trap blind, and even if Rau _had _set a trap, he trusted them both to get themselves out of it. Yzak was clearly capable, and so was Athrun, even if he had never taken the time before now to acknowledge it. He intended to have an opportunity to do so in the future, though, and he was not going to let that opportunity be taken away from him without a fight.

"I see," the officer gave a slow nod, before straightening as the blond from before poked his head into the room, "Ah, it seems we are ready. Mister Chairman?"

Patrick nodded and rose, striding out of the shuttle with the pair flanking him, prepared to face whatever it was Rau had ready for him.

* * *

"This is nuts!" dodging a second volley of fire from the massive enemy suit Shin cursed, not for the first time, his decision to rely on the sword silhouette for this mission. He had only needed a sword to destroy the core, and it had seemed a precise weapon would be a better choice, but now, with this new development, he wished he had not spent such a great deal of time deciding which would be the best to use. His decisions normally had more merit when they weren't thought through, and this was no exception. "Get the hell out of my way!"

Swerving around another blast he darted right in close beside the suit, just managing to escape an attempt by it's pilot to seize him in it's mammoth hand, and letting out a whoop of triumph as three of the twenty supports holding the shaft steady were sliced cleanly in two. His triumph was short lived, however, as the Impulse ground to a sudden halt, and he had time for only one thought as the hand which had grasped him flung him forcefully through the air.

"_Aw_ shit!" The rest of his exclamation was cut off as he jerked against the safety belts holding him in position, very nearly biting through his own lip as he fought to steady his machine. "You think you're so clever? Well, let me show you a thing or two!" reclaiming his grip on his sword Shin prepared to assault the machine head on, but stopped himself in his tracks as realization hit him. He didn't have time to fight this thing _and_ destroy the shaft, there was no way he could do both within the alloted time. If he fought it, he wouldn't be able to destroy anything before having to run for his life, but if he didn't he risked being dashed to pieces.

"What kind of a bloody decision is that?" he demanded inanely, already plotting his course around the machine to the next lot of piles. This was his mission and his mission alone, and he was not going to fail, no matter what it took. He just needed to pull off another miracle, he had done it before, and he could..._would_ do it again. Because, if he didn't these monsters would succeed, and the entire Earth would pay the price for his failure.

"I am _not_ going to let that happen!" Turning the growled statement into a battle cry he launched himself forward, ignoring the sound of searing heat meeting metal, and concentrating only on the supports, even if inwardly, he offered a prayer of despair up to the Impulse.

_Hold together, please, just hold together._

* * *

"Commander Waltfield? Captain DaCosta? Do you read me? Come in Tiger! DaCosta?" Nichol frowned at the lack of response to his hails, eyes scanning the battlefield for any sign of his allies. The pair of them had left him in charge of protecting the Eternal whilst they went against the enemy battleship, Kira and Mu left to deal with the three mobile suits. He had been kept busy trying to fight off the attacks of the ship's lesser machines, protecting both the Eternal _and_ the Archangel, and it was not until now, when the battle suddenly lulled into silence, that he had the chance to try and locate his teammates. "Bridge, can you reach the others?"

"I've lost the DaCosta's signal," Meyrin's voice was hushed, just barely hiding terror, and Nichol was reminded yet again how this was not a situation she was used to. Real battle, it was something Meyrin had never had to experience before, and it was taking it's toll now, "The Tiger is...I still have a reading from it, but I can't hail the pilot."

"What about Kira and Mu?" he could not see either of the others from his position, and both the Eternal and the Archangel hung in space like silent sentinels, still, and unchallenged. The enemy vessel was either destroyed or gone, either way it was no longer here, and so far as Nichol could see the only thing in sight was debris.

"They had to move closer within the colony," Miri reported firmly, her voice a direct contrast to Meyrin's, "Two of the mobile suits are using it as cover, the third is destroyed, but, all our vessels are running low on power."

"Mine too," Nichol sighed, glancing down at the many red dials flashing on his console, "Eternal, requesting permission to land and resupply?"

"Permission granted," Lacus answered at once, "I'll have the mechanics stand by. As soon as you've resupplied we'll attempt to retrieve the Tiger, and then move into the Colony to support the other two vessels."

"Right," Nichol swung his machine around and began to limp back towards the Eternal, at the same time proceeding with the conversation, "Do we have confirmation the enemy was destroyed?"

"There was no explosion," Meyrin responded slowly, "But it _is_ gone. Maybe it retreated?"

"There were no signal flares," Aisha pointed out, having taken up the seat of the combat commander, "Strange. Perhaps the readings are incorrect, did you check them?"

"I...Wait, ma'am!" Meyrin's alarmed cry needed no explanation, for Nichol had seen it himself, the mother ship emerging out of nothingness right above the Eternal.

"Mirage colloid?" Aisha exclaimed, "But how is that possible on a warship of that size?"

"Nevermind that. It's firing! Evade now!" But, even as Lacus shouted that demand, it was sickeningly apparent that there was no way the Eternal could make it clear of the blast. There was no time to think, no time to get out of the way, and in that brief moment, Nichol made his decision.

When the enemy vessel fired, it was his machine, not the Eternal, placed before the blow.

* * *

"Ma'am! I can't raise Hawk's machine, and there is a mobile suit closing in on us from three o'clock!"

"What about Heine?" Talia spun about in her chair to demand an answer of the transmissionist, "Where are the meteor breakers?"

"I don't know, ma'am," the only response was a quick shake of the head, "I can't find _any_ of them. The Kusanagi has sustained serious damage, they aren't going to last for much longer."

"Neither are we at this rate," turning back to the main screen Talia paused a moment, before at last giving a slow nod, "All right, Heim, take the Minerva down to the Colony floor. We'll blast it at blank range with the Tannhauser."

"Captain?" The look she received in return was one of incredulous disbelief, "If we do that we'll be..."

"I know," Talia merely nodded her head, turning to glance at the man standing behind her, her gaze steady and unflinching as she met his blue eyes, "If we fire the Tannhauser from this range, it won't make that much of a difference, and that mobile suit is going to destroy us in any case. If we drop the ship to the level of the Colony, there is a chance we can make a serious dent in it, but we will most likely be caught in the blast. There isn't time to disembark now," turning back to the rest of the crew she kept her voice level, "For any of us. And, even if there was, we would most likely be shot down. For all intents and purposed this is a suicide mission, and I can't very well ask any of you to do that because it is an order. On the other hand, we came here to complete a mission, and this could well be the only way we can do that. Heim, take us down."

For a moment the pilot of the vessel simply stared at her, before, along with most of the rest of the crew, he gave a slow nod, "Very well, then, ma'am. Proceeding to lower Minerva to the Colony surface. Tannhauser charging..."

"Do you truly believe this will work?" Siegel Clyne kept his voice hushed as he bent over her chair, but Talia only grimaced in response.

"I hope so," she replied sincerely, "Otherwise, we could very well be giving up our lives for nothing."

* * *

"Ah, so you have already met Mr. Djibril," The cool voice made every one of them stiffen, Athrun immediately jerking back to his feet, the expression on his face one of dark anger, something that made Dearka uneasy. He had never seen Athrun like this before, and, in this situation, losing control could only be considered a worst case scenario. "In that case I need not bother introducing you two."

Rau stood smugly before them, arms folded across his chest in a gesture of superiority, surrounded by ten or more of his men, fully armed with their guns trained on the intruders. Had it not been for that fact, Dearka was sure Yzak would have smashed the man's face in, mask and all, but as it was he settled for a glare that was as ferocious as any Dearka had ever seen him use, ignoring the men pouring out of the control centre, Djibril at their head. For a moment the murderer merely glanced about the group, before his eyes settled on Athrun with a smile that was more than a little sickening.

"The Zala kid, I presume? You certainly have a knack for cheating death. It must be a trait inherited from your father, for it is certainly not one your mother ever had."

"You bastard!" Dearka was not alone in his attempt to seize his comrade's arm and stop his reckless actions, though the Representative's grip certainly had more effect, drawing Athrun's attention to the young woman rather than the unrepentant murderer still smirking at the rise he had drawn from his target. Judging it safe, then, to release his hold Dearka turned back to Rau, just in time to hear Yzak's challenge.

"You were responsible for everything, weren't you?" His voice was surprisingly soft, but there was a lethal edge to it that could not be ignored, "You ordered the assassination of the world leaders so you could start this war and lead the world down a path of self destruction. So what happens now? What do you intend to do? Destroy the Earth and the PLANTs? You'll die too if that happens, you bastard."

"I am well aware of that fact," Rau replied dryly, "I could answer your question as to 'why' I am doing what I am doing, but unless you see things from my point of view you are never going to grasp the concept." He paused eyes drifting to Rey, "You, I _am_ disappointed in. I would have thought we would have seen things eye to eye, _brother._"

Three pairs of questioning eyes turned simultaneously to the blond pilot, Rey fixing Rau with a look of vehement dislike, even though he could hardly have been oblivious to the many gazes focussed on him. Rau seemed to find the entire thing to be one big joke, for he laughed abruptly, though his next statement could hardly be called relevant in Dearka's mind.

"One might ask why you are aligning yourself with this bunch instead of your own family, but I would understand the answer no more than you would understand mine. Why is such an ambiguous term, don't you think?"

At this point Caggallie apparently decided she had had enough, and stepping forward addressed the Supreme Commander without the slightest sign of restraint. Dearka admired her courage, to a point, but there were times when excessive courage could lead down a very dark path, sometimes to death, and he would have wagered money on the fact this might be one of those times. "When you are quite finished prattling on about your stupid theories do you think you could shut up? You're nothing but a madman, a monster whose destroyed too many lives to count!"

"Ah, the Representative of Orb, this is certainly a sweetener for my victory," He paused, smirking at the indignant woman, who took a rapid step back as he drew his gun, Athrun moving as if by habit to stand between her and the weapon, Djibril forgotten for the moment, "And what a victory it is! Earth needs no destroying, the Seventh Colony is taking care of that. Once that cursed planet is destroyed I will bring the Genesis closer to the PLANTs cluster as a security measure, and then I shall self destruct it. Humanity going out with a bang, don't you think it a wonderful scheme?"

"You're an insane bastard!" Dearka growled as he found himself disarmed and bound, deciding that perhaps Caggallie's approach was the the correct one, "You'll be killed too, all of you!"

"Perhaps," Rau shrugged indifferently, "But there is always the moon. And the Earth can no doubt be salvaged with time, rebuilt for our own purposes. Djibril, take them away...Uh-uh," He stepped forward just as the group were about to be led off, seizing Rey by the arm and tugging him back, "You stay with me, after all, family should stick together."

"Leave him as well," Still clutching Rey's arm tightly he turned to Djibril, pointing to Athrun,"I have a score to settle with you, Zala. Take the others to the cells, I want them to be alive to witness their failure as the PLANTs are destroyed at my hands."

"You can't do this!" Caggallie protested inanely, "It's madness! You can't!"

"Oh, but I can," Rau gave a twisted smile, ignoring the venomous look his sibling was shooting him, "You didn't really think you were going to win, did you?"

"You haven't won yet," Rey hissed through clenched teeth, so that Dearka could not help but be startled at the seething fury breaking through the tranquil exterior,blazing anger reflected in those blue eyes, "Your abominable pride will be your downfall, and when you fall there will be no getting back up. You aren't in control here, you never have been, and you never will be. You'll get what's coming to you in due time, and I just hope that when it happens, I am there to see it."


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: The Mask Beyond the Mask**

"Minerva?" Shin tried to steady his breathing, trying to ignore the spike of pain that every breath sent shuddering through his body, as well as the blood seeping about his hand, his other fingers tightly clutching the unresponsive controls of the remains of the Impulse, "Minerva, do you copy?" He had felt that last explosion, something that had set the whole colony shuddering enough to break apart the pieces he had severed, and yet he had also heard the sudden rush of static through his transmitter. "Minerva? Luna? Are you there?" But the only answer that met him was a deathly silence, not even the slightest noise intruding on the silence of his cockpit, nothing but the sound of his own harsh breathing.

"Luna? Heine?" They couldn't be gone, not all of them, but the physical evidence was to the contrary, and as he peered through the great cracks in the destroyed hull of his vessel, Shin realized he could no longer see even the colony. The broken, drifting pieces had vanished from his sight, leaving only the great, stretching expanse of space. Empty, deserted, and lonely. The Colony had been broken up, it's pieces drifting away from the orbit that would have seen them collide with the Earth, ready to be destroyed for good by a single blast from the GENESIS, but at what cost? Shin could feel his breath hitching in his throat for an entirely different reason than his injuries, and he blinked back tears before they could float aimlessly about the confines of his helmet. "Are you gone, then?" he whispered into the nothingness, "Just like mom and dad? Mayu? Luna, are you gone? Is there nothing left? The Minerva? Heine? The Kusanagi? Was I too late?"

But there was no answer to his questions, either from within or without, and he whimpered slightly as he fought to hold back sobs. This wasn't the way he had imagined it would end, but then, maybe he would die out here as well. The Impulse was too damaged to fly, whatever remnants of functionality it had had left destroyed in that explosion, and there was no way he could make it to any of their surviving vessels, if there _were_ any surviving vessels, using his jet-pack alone.

"So," he coughed weakly, unable to do anything about the slow dribble of blood running down his chin, "I got my adventure in the end. You were right, Luna, weren't you? Heroes do always die in real life, not that I was ever really a hero. I..am sorry, though, Luna, you were right all along, I should have listened to you, I would have been happier if I had."

Closing his eyes he turned his head slightly to rest it against the side of the cockpit, knowing the numbness spreading to his limbs was not a good thing, but unable to do anything about it. He had done his job, he had completed his mission, he had become the hero, but there was no one there to congratulate him, none of the friends he had taken for granted, and he did not want to live in a world where they no longer existed. He had lost everything once, he would not go through that again, better that he should die here, to end it once and for all.

With that thought in mind, he did not fight when the blackness came, but accepted the warm blanket it provided with gratitude. He had done all he could, it was up to the world to do the rest now.

* * *

The colony broke up moments after Kira had delivered the killing blow to the last enemy, moments after the enemy vessel had appeared out of nothingness, moments after Nichol had placed himself in the path of that blasts, moments after he had watched in horror as the beam still managed to slice a good portion of the Eternal away, and moments _before_ the power on his machine finally ran out completely. The battle was over now, the frantic struggle for survival, and all that was left to do was to drift aimlessly in space and await the pickup the Archangel would provide. It was over and he had survived, but there was no way of knowing how many of the others had lost their lives.

"Hey, kid, you still with me?" the weariness in Mu's voice was overwhelming, and Kira choked slightly as he responded.

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"We did it," Mu sounded slightly unbelieving, and Kira could not blame him, it was a euphoric fact that still refused to fully sink into his mind as well. How could it be possible they had actually succeeded, when so many lives had been lost? For there to have been a victory, after such loss, it hardly seemed possible, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so that in the end what came out was a strangled garble of both, "We actually did it."

"The...the others?" For some reason, he was having difficulty trying to breath, and it took a conscious effort to force those words out, "The Eternal?"

"We're alive, Kira," Lacus' subdued response was perhaps the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, and he felt his eyes close in exhausted relief as he merely listened to the softness of her words, "There were some injuries, but Nichol..."

"Is he alive?" Mu's words were bated, and there was a long silence before Lacus finally responded.

"He's alive, but..."

"Will he stay that way?"

"I don't know," there was a defeated note to her voice now, something that Kira was not used to hearing from her, and he opened his eyes again in surprise, before remembering she was not actually present, "Martin...Martin is dead," her voice was breaking, despite her best efforts, "Andrew is badly wounded, we don't know how badly, and the Minerva..."

"What about the Minerva?" Mu's voice was gentle enough to prevent those words becoming a demand, though no doubt he recalled, as clearly as Kira did, who had been aboard that vessel.

"We've received word from the Kusanagi," It was Murrue who responded, her voice heavy, "The Minerva fired the Tannhauser at point blank range to complete the destruction of the colony, there were no survivors."

"Lacus," Kira bit his lip, before proceeding slowly, "Mu? I'm going to land on the Eternal, is that all right?"

"Go ahead, kid, she needs someone to be there for her," Mu's voice carried only understanding, "Right now, I think we all do."

* * *

Yzak was furiously pacing back and forth across the room with such vehemence Caggallie was sure he would wear hole through the floor, metal or not, not that she could blame him, it was something she felt like doing as well, but right at this moment it was no more productive than sitting beside Dearka in almost complete silence, trying to think up some way out of the entire affair. He was startled out of his thoughts, however, when Caggallie unexpectedly jumped, preparing to give herself a full blown lecture later for her stupidity.

"What's wrong?" Dearka asked, turning to her in surprise, "You sit on something sharp?"

Caggallie did not reply, instead she raised her hands to her neck and removed the necklace hanging there, the tiny object Natarle had given her prior to her departure. Once it had been drawn from her shirt the others in the room could see it for what it truly was; a tiny portable communication device.

"Impressive," Yzak grunted, stopping in his pacing and sitting down opposite them both, "Does it work?"

"Of course it works!" Caggallie retorted, casting him a glare before opening the small device and scanning the message she had been sent quickly, the same message that had set it vibrating against her chest, her eyes widening as she did so, "What the hell?"

"What is it?" Yzak demanded impatiently, blue eyes narrowed to slits.

"This is a message from Natarle," Caggallie explained swiftly, "She says the destruction of the Colony was successful, but she believes the Earth Forces are making an attempt to seize GENESIS and fire it at the PLANTs." She paused a moment, before conveying the other half of the note, "She's saying there may be no choice but to destroy the cannon with the Justice, or to fire nukes on it if that is no longer possible, though she has yet to discuss it with the others."

There was a moments stunned silence, before Yzak burst out in frustration,"Well this just gets better and better!" Turning around he slammed a fist into the wall, "Damn, damn, DAMN!"

"But, if they fire on the cannon with nukes we'll be...They don't seriously think the Earth Forces will succeed, do they?" Dearka asked in disbelief, "I mean, they are a pretty pathetic force."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Caggallie shook her head, trying, at the same time, to reconcile herself with the revelation she could be blown to pieces within a matter of hours. If it was true the Earth Forces were taking the cannon, then she had no choice but to accept that decision, but still...it was not the end she might have chosen, given the choice. "I've met Muruta myself, he is a far more intelligent individual than one might assume. I am sure he has figured out a way to get on board, the only question is, how?"

* * *

It was a simple matter for General Halberton to separate himself from the rest of the group posing as ZAFT's soldiers escorting the Chairman in order to remove the small communicator at his belt, one he had long since given up all hope of ever receiving a message through, though it appeared that despair had been premature. It had been given to him when Orb came to the Seventh Colony, and he had faithfully held onto it ever since, reporting the more and more dubious actions of Muruta Azrael without fail to the only person he believed had any chance of saving the Earth Forces from the pit they had dug for themselves. Of course, that had meant going along with every bit of planning made by both Azrael and his Coordinator friend, but that was all worth it if he could make a difference now. So, taking a deep breath, he raised the communicator to his ear, speaking with calm crispness.

"Miss Badgiruel?"

"General Halberton, it is good to hear your voice. I'm afraid I don't have much time, so I'll make this quick." Natarle's voice came over the line, conveying the urgency she felt, "The Orb Chief Representative and a group of Elite ZAFT soldiers are imprisoned aboard the GENESIS, it is imperative for our success that they are freed, do you think you can handle that?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'll call you when it is done." Freeing ZAFT soldiers? Well, that was certainly not the task he had expected to be given, but, no matter the case, he trusted Sarah Azrael's judgement.

"Thank you, General," the young woman responded smoothly, "Be careful, there are too many layers of deceit here to count."

"I understand, ma'am, I will not fail you." Slipping the device back into his belt Halberton threw one last cautious glance over his shoulder, before turning to belt down the corridor at a hasty run.

* * *

"Fire nukes on GENESIS?" Murrue could not help the gasp that left her lips, "But, Natarle...!"

"I understand it may seem extreme," the combat officer gave a slow nod, "But if Muruta has truly taken the cannon, as Halberton's location confirmed, then what do you think his intentions are?"

"The PLANTs," Murrue could not deny that, and sighing she raised her hands to rub her temples, dully noting the fact Mu had just stepped onto the bridge, "But, still, it seems so extreme...And we still have people on there."

"I have asked him to release our team."

"Release?" Mu scowled, "How do we even know they are prisoners?"

"If they were not, isn't it likely they would have succeeded by now?" Natarle's response was sharp, but it was more a statement of fact than a defensive gesture, "The Seventh Colony could still damage the Earth, but the extent of that damage will seem like nothing if that machine fires on the PLANTs. If that happens, this entire war could reignite again. Are you willing to let that happen?"

"I think we should give our guys a chance to do what they were sent to do," Mu interrupted before Murrue even had a chance to offer a response, at the same time laying a hand on her shoulder, seeming to think she needed the comfort. And maybe she did, but it would have been nice if he had _asked_ first, "We completed our mission, we should let them do theirs. Besides, Athrun said he'd destroy the GENESIS himself if it became a last resort."

"I'm not saying we shouldn't give them a chance," Natarle responded with absolute calm, "I'm merely saying we should be prepared to step in should they fail."

* * *

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" If he hadn't been convinced of the fact Rau was mad already, Athrun might have been surprised by the light chuckle the Supreme Commander gave upon observing the carnage that was all that remain of the moon bases destroyed a few months before, "Imagine the PLANTs looking exactly the same. Won't it be magnificent?"

Ignoring the complete lack of response the man simply walked across to the nearest console, picking up the gun that had been left lying there, loading it, and then turning around to point it at them both calmly. The three of them were alone right now, with Djibril not having returned from locking the others away, though Athrun did think he was taking an awfully long time, and there was not a single person present who could stop Rau if he decided to fire. Not that any of Djibril's men were likely to have intervened in any case, not with the things they had been responsible for. They were just as mad as Rau was, really. To be following him, they _must_ be.

"There is a choice before you now, Rey Za Burrel," Rau continued in calm, rational tones that were betrayed by the barrel still pointed at them both, "I am willing to give you a chance to survive, if you admit that everything I have told you is true, and you cannot deny that it has been. You know of the evil in this world, the same evil I am trying to eradicate, so you must know also that it _must_ be destroyed. The evil of ambition, war, and humanity itself. I intend to destroy it all, and rebuild it beneath my rule."

"You're insane," Rey responded flatly, "Completely out of your mind. How many people do you think are actually going to follow you? How many people will be _left_ once this is over?"

"Those who do not follow me shall die," Rau gave a cold smile, "Your choice, brother, join me, and you shall be one of those who does not."

There was complete and utter silence for a moment, during which the slow smile on Rau's face grew more and more confident, before Rey responded quietly, yet with enough venom to lend weight to each word.

"Go. To. Hell."

Rau's smile disappeared immediately, so that Athrun found it difficult to believe it had ever been there, and taking a step forward he brandished his weapon. "Fine," He growled, "Have it your way, I guess you won't be here to see the finale after all!"

Taking aim he closed his finger about the trigger, and a moment later a resounding bang broke the stillness of the room.


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: The True Enemy**

"Shin?" the voice that called him came from far off, breaking through the fog like a scythe, yet still not cutting deep enough to penetrate the haze that had offered him such comfort. He fought against it's rousing touch, not wanting to start back to wakefulness in a world that held nothing for him, but the pressure was relentless, and as the hails continued, he found himself unwillingly drawn into the realm of consciousness. "Shin? Shin!"

With a final groan of protest he opened his eyes blearily, expecting the white walls of the infirmary upon whose bed he was undoubtedly lying, though not the anxious face mere centimeters from his own. With a soft gasp that was muffled by the mask covering his mouth and nose he tried to lift a hand to touch her face, to assure himself she was real, but he made it only half way before her fingers closed about his struggling own, gently squeezing his hand.

"...L..Luna?" His voice came out rasping and weak, but the young woman heard him nonetheless, nodding vigorously as tears began to show in her eyes.

"I've been so worried," she whispered harshly, "We couldn't find you, and I...I thought you were gone, just like the others, and then you'd lost so much blood..." she shook her head, unable to continue as she raised his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes, trying, as he had been, to assure herself of his presence, "I'm so glad you're all right."

"T..The colony?" It was still difficult to breath, and he remembered vaguely that one of his lungs had been damaged in some way during the explosion, the reason he had been coughing up blood the last time he was conscious, but he still managed to utter those two words, earning a broken smile from the girl hovering above him.

"You did it, Shin, Earth is safe," she swallowed audibly, turning her face away slightly as she continued, "But the Minerva and Heine...Heine was killed in the battle, and the Minerva made a suicide run on the colony to break it apart. We tried to search the wreckage, but it...it was too late. All we found was bodies..."

"What about...G-GENESIS?"

"I don't know," Luna could only shrug helplessly, "We're joining up with the Eternal and the Archangel shortly, they might have some news...Shin, you _are_ all right, aren't you?"

"I'll..be fine." he was exhausted, sedated, emotionally spent, and in a considerable amount of pain, but he meant every word of the response he had given her. Luna was alive, and so long as he stayed that way, everything would be all right.

* * *

"Wow, Andy, they really did a number on you, huh?" Aisha moved to sit at the bedside of her fiance, trying not to notice the closed curtain of the bed on the other side, where a young man barely old enough to even be in this war was fighting for his life, fighting, because he had been prepared to give that life up to protect them. The words she had spoken of Andrew Waltfield were not untrue, for the man was a wraith of bandages, including the left side of his face, so that only his right eye, his nose, and his mouth extended from beyond the sea of white. She had seen him in similar situations before, and that was only from training exercises, but never anything quite this extreme.

"Yeah, well, I gave as good as I got," not at all daunted by his injuries the dark haired man gave a quick grin, before proceeding in quieter tones, "How is the lady holding up?"

"Last time I saw her," Aisha stated quietly, "She was being escorted by a young man in preparation to transfer to the Kusanagi to check up on the survivors of the Minerva. I think she is trying not to think about it too much."

"I see," Andrew let out a slow breath, "I can't say I blame her, though. There were no survivors?"

"None whatsoever," Aisha dropped her gaze to her lap, "They must have known it would be that way, and yet they still..."

"Talia Gladys," Andrew gave a shrug that brought a grimace to the visible portion of his face, before proceeding calmly, "There isn't many of us who can say we've got the guts that woman did. I just hope her sacrifice pays off."

* * *

"For crying out loud, would you stand still?" Caggallie's nerves, frayed to the limit, had finally given out, and she could not help but be frustrated with Yzak's constant movement.

The Commander stopped his pacing only to glare at her, but Dearka intervened before he could even begin to speak, "Cut him some slack, Miss Attha, Yzak is a man of action, he can't _bear_ to do nothing."

"Can't you _ever_ be serious?" Yzak transferred his anger onto Dearka, which was no doubt exactly what the blond had wanted in order to stop a fully fledged argument, "You don't even _deserve_ to wear that uniform."

"If I knew you meant that, I'd take offense," Dearka responded airily, winking at Caggallie who merely rolled her eyes in response, both exasperated and amused by them both, "But, since I know you really love me, I won't."

Yzak looked just about ready to strangle his second in command at this point, except this time it was Caggallie who intervened, stiffening as she held up a hand in warning. "Sh! I hear footsteps."

The pair stilled instantly, and sure enough the sound of boots clipping the metal floor could be heard echoing down the tunnel, soon to be accompanied by a slight mutter of irritation, "Why did they have to make this damn thing so huge?"

Dearka shot Yzak an 'I told you so' look which was dutifully ignored, Caggallie, however, had leapt to her feet, recognizing the voice instantly as she hurried to the front of the cell, calling softly into the darkened corridor. "General Halberton?"

There was a pause in the footfalls, then they changed direction and began to draw closer as her call was answered, "Miss Attha? Are you down here?"

"I'm here!" Caggallie almost shouted in glee as the middle aged man appeared at the end of the passage, "Thank heavens you are here!"

"You can thank Miss Azrael for that," Halberton smiled as he approached, giving the trio a brief nod, before turning to the control panel and unlocking the cells, "She fixed all this."

"I'll thank her as soon as I get back," Caggallie promised, before promptly proceeding, "Is it true about the Earth Forces? Have they taken GENESIS?"

"I wouldn't say the Earth Forces have," Halberton shook his head as he frowned, "If you ask me Muruta is being played by Durandal, not that he could ever see it. That man is far too mysterious in regards to this 'weapon' he is supposedly providing Muruta with, and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he never follows through on that promise."

"Then Gilbert Durandal is here?" Caggallie scowled, realizing the implications of that. Athrun had suspected the man from the very beginning, not just her, and now with Halberton's verdict on his character drawn in much the same pattern, she could not help but feel alarmed.

"He's here" the General confirmed grimly, "And headed for the control room right now, posing as the escort for the Chairman of the PLANTs."

"Then that explains the shuttle," Dearka concluded, "Hey, Yzak, did you study the GENESIS interior much?"

"Of course I did!" his commander snapped instantly, "Unlike you, I know the necessary components for a successful mission."

"Well, then," Dearka was undeterred by the barely veiled insult, "In that case you should be able to tell me if there is another way to control this baby other than the main center, or alternatively by blowing it up. We still need to destroy the fragments of the Seventh Colony, remember?"

"We may be able to seize control from the battle station," Yzak recalled, his face brightening as he realized the merit of Dearka's suggestion, "All orders from the control centre have to be transferred to there. But, can we get there in time?"

"I can get you to the lifts," Halberton volunteered at once, "But we must hurry!"

"I'm not going," Caggallie stated abruptly, as the other three began to move off, meeting Yzak's surprised glance with a firm one of her own, "I'm going back for Athrun and Rey."

"Are you insane?" The albino Coordinator demanded angrily, "If you go back you will be killed!"

"And if I don't they will," She responded stubbornly, "Go on without me, we'll catch up."

"You're completely off your rocker!" Yzak snorted in disgust, giving his head a curt shake as he turned away, "Fine, go back! Kill yourself! See if I care," Turning around he glared at the other two "Come on, let's go!"

Dearka hesitated as they began to move away, but at last seeming to realize she would not be dissuaded he turned and bolted after the other two. Caggallie waited until they were out of sight before reaching down to retrieve the weapon she had concealed in her boot, carefully checking it was loaded, then turning and running in the opposite direction.

* * *

Rau's body toppled forward in slow motion, the gun skidding away across the floor, though the dark haired man who had stepped within the room with a full entourage did not immediately lower his gun, instead turning with such abruptness that no one had any time to react and firing on Muruta Azrael, General Garcia, and Patrick Zala one after another. The first two dropped like stones, but Patrick had been better trained, and he leapt to the side, the bullet catching him in the arm instead as he dove to the floor. Athrun watched all these events play out one after the another, slowed down to a crawling pace in his mind, before finally succeeding in clicking them into place.

"Father!"

"Oh, don't move." the almost casual way the barrel moved to encompass him in it's range stopped Athrun in his tracks, and unconsciously he took a step back to stand beside Rey again, the younger pilot's face inscrutable as he studied the newcomers. "We wouldn't want anyone else to die, now, would we? Disarm him," he nodded sideways at the Chairman, before moving smoothly across the room to seat himself in the chair of command, placing the gun in his lap as he turned to study Rau's limp body for a moment, then giving a dismissive shrug, "Such a shame. I should have liked to see his face before he realized he had been played whilst playing others, but it was not to be, after all," calm, golden eyes turned to Rey now, and Athrun felt more than saw the other stiffen, "I couldn't allow him to destroy you."

"Who are you?" Patrick demanded, the hand held to his shoulder showing red between the fingers, though his gaze was steady and furious, despite the fact he was leaning against the wall to keep himself upright.

"My name is Gilbert Durandal," seemingly undeterred by the venomous gaze fastened on him Gilbert merely smiled at his 'guests', proceeding with an air of absolute tranquility that made Athrun's skin crawl, "And what I want is to end this charade, once and for all. To end all wars, to end even the slightest traces of conflict, wiping them from the face of the Earth."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Athrun snapped, "When you're the one whose dropping the Colony on the Earth?"

"Dear boy, I'm afraid you are undervaluing your own worth," the smile on the man's face was sickening in too many ways to list, though it was sufficient to say it made Athrun's stomach turn, "I have the greatest confidence in the ability of your allies to prevent the colony falling, after all, the plan was constructed by none other than yourself, wasn't it? You have indeed inherited your parents' tactical capabilities, those of the father and the mother both. But, this is of no consequence, the Colony is no longer yours or my concern, and neither is the fate of this station. It was merely a toy from the very beginning, neither meant to fire on the Earth or the PLANTs, but rather to provide the catalyst that would move the world in the direction it needed to move."

"What the hell are you talking about?" The fury in his father's tone was barely concealed, and Athrun found himself hoping his parent did not act on that fury, for the consequences of that could be messy, "Who are you, really?"

"I am to be the creator of a new world order," Gilbert rose, seeming to realize this gave more power to his words, "Through designs and plans that have been laid down for years. Even Le Creuset was merely another pawn, though he tried so hard not to be, a failure, unfit to even have control of a small series of events. He believed he did, he even tried to go so far as to unwork my plans, but, ultimately, he failed, because he was never the master. But you," Gilbert was still smiling as he turned to Rey, seemingly oblivious to the fact no one else was, "You are the same as he was, and yet so much more. In you we may finally find the key to unlocking the future I shall govern."

"Then, you're the one," Rey's voice was icily calm now, as opposed to the frosty anger he had faced Rau with, "You're responsible for all this? For destroying countless innocent lives! And for what? So you could rebuild the world in _your_ image?"

"Reform requires sacrifice, but you are confusing our companions," Gilbert spread his hands, "Please, allow me to explain to you why this has all been necessary, to explain to you a vision that in fact began over two decades ago, but did not come into effect until eight years later, fifteen years ago, and," he paused, eyes bearing into the blond pilot once again, "Five years after the day you and your brother were born. I had been working on the project before then, struggling to come up with an answer to humanity's relentless desire to destroy itself, an answer that would be provided through science and peace, not warfare. It a project that influences human beings on a genetic level, an achievement far greater than even the creation of the Coordinators, but," a dark scowl descended over his features, a change that was more than a little frightening.

"But the Government could not see the merit of such a scheme, they believed it was destroying free will, and thus, we were denied the next step to saving the race of humanity. My colleagues gave up, their resolve no longer strong enough to continue, but I refused to let it end there. I had a prototype ready, I merely needed a subject I knew well enough, someone whose genetic pattern I had studied so well I knew it off by heart. To begin with, I did not think I could find someone, and then I discovered a secret kept from me for five years, the existence of two young children, twins, the offspring of Talia Gladys. The young captain had tried to conceal them, hiding them away in an orphanage, but though one of them had slipped from my grasp, the other remained. I chose that child to be my test subject, to have the chance to become the first key, because I knew exactly the pattern from which he had been cut, I knew him as well as I knew myself, because he was a part of me, _my_ son."


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Misguided Intentions**

"Everybody freeze!" Dearka bounded into the room a mere moment after kicking the door open, pointing his gun at the startled operators spread about the consoles, before turning to give his frazzled commander a grin, "I've always wanted to say that!"

"When this is over," Yzak responded flippantly, "Remind me to kill you in the slowest, most painful manner I can think of...Didn't you hear what he said? Get on the floor, and _drop_ that weapon!"

Hastily the man trying to conceal the pistol behind his back let it go, joining the others in crouching and placing their hands over their heads.

"Watch them." Yzak ordered Halberton shortly, not caring if the man was going to listen to him or not as he slung his gun back over his shoulder and walked to the nearest console, "Bloody hell, this thing is already charged to fire...Do you know how to aim it, Dearka?"

"Sure, it's, uh, just like a giant mobile suit, right?"

"All right, forget it," Yzak turned to the crowd of personnel on the floor, "Which one of you is in charge of aiming and firing this thing?" His question met with only a resounding silence, and more than one defiant glare, and Yzak was reminded that these people were ZAFT, they weren't going to give up without a fight.

"Let me reiterate that," he stated slowly, pronouncing each word with deliberate care, "One of you is going to get up and do as I have asked, or I'm going to let Mr. Earth Forces here take command, and I'm sure he won't be anywhere near as patient."

Again there was that same glowering silence, before a young woman with short blond hair dared to sit up on her knees, hands at her sides as she stared back defiantly, "With all due respect, _sir_," the word was clipped, "I don't think any of us are foolish to help someone aim the GENESIS when they are in the company of an Earth Forces' officer. What do you intend to have us fire upon, the PLANTs?"

"Oh, well, this is just precious!" Dearka burst out laughing, earning him a glare from the both the woman and his superior officer, "Look here, doll," he proceeded, once he had managed to calm himself, "That masked creep whose orders you are following just happens to be a masked creep who is a madman, and, for some reason we haven't quite figured out yet, he's trying to take over the entire world. In order to do that, he's going to let a whole flaming dead colony fall on the Earth, and then he's going to fire this baby on the PLANTs."

"That's crazy," the woman was adamant, "The Supreme Commander would never..."

"He would, and he _is_," Yzak snapped, his patience at it's end. How these people could be so blind as to follow Rau Le Creuset he would never know, but he would not let their stupidity cost him the PLANTs, "Now, either help us aim this thing at the fragments of the Seventh Colony so we can stop them from obliterating the Earth, _with_ all the ZAFT troops still down there, or shut the hell up."

"I'll do it, Commander Joule, sir," he jumped at being called by name, not having expected to be recognized, and turning met the gray eyed gaze of a brunette red coat of his own age, "I'm not an operator," she admitted when she realized he was appraising her uniform, "But I have been stationed here on the GENESIS ever since it was completed. I believe I know enough of the workings to give you what you need."

Yzak hesitated a moment, knowing what a risk he was running if this pilot was wrong, or if she _did_ something wrong, and at the same time equally aware of what could happen if he did nothing. Right now the coordinates must be set somewhere near the PLANTs, and the moment Rau chose to fire, his home, and everyone living on the Colonies, would be obliterated. At least if he let this pilot try, there was a _chance_ that might not happen.

"Fine," he nodded stiffly, "But don't try anything funny."

"I wouldn't dream of it, sir." it was hard to tell whether that comment was sarcasm or not as the young woman separated herself from the main group and walked to the nearest console, seating herself swiftly and beginning to work, ignoring the murmurs behind her. It was clear the decision she had made was not going to go down well with any of her comrades, and Yzak frowned at her back, wondering what had prompted her to make such a decision.

"Is something wrong, sir?" he had not realized his face was reflected on the shining surface of the console until her words informed him she could see his glare, and abruptly he took a step back, removing himself from the metal surface.

"No. I was just wondering how safe it is to trust someone who follows the orders of a superior officer in league with the enemy."

"Everyone knows how much you hate Naturals, sir," was the clipped response, "I am certain you are not working alongside this man for the fun of it."

Dearka gave a slight snigger, ignoring Yzak's glare as he moved to lean on the back of the chair right next to the pilot, appraising her carefully for a moment, before adopting a curious expression, "Hey, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"Once," she flashed him a brief glance, barely turning her eyes away from the screen, "I thrashed your ass during the hand to hand in Academy."

"I don't believe it!" Dearka gave a sudden laugh, slapping his hand down on the console with a resounding smack, "It's Shiho Hahnenfuss!"

"The one and only," this time her eyes left the screen long enough to give Dearka a somewhat cocky grin, "Did you miss me?"

"Hey, Yzak," Dearka did not respond, turning to his commander with an expression that had Yzak preparing to slap him before he even opened his mouth, "Haven't you got any kind words for your fiancee?"

"She is _not_ my fiancee!" Yzak exploded, inches from smashing that grin right off the cocky, tanned pilot's face, "That was something my mother...I'm going to _kill_ you."

Abruptly realizing he was being played Yzak gave Dearka the darkest glare he could muster, the one that threatened painful and violent things to come, before transferring that look to the wholly amused young woman still working on the console as he snapped. "Are you done yet?"

"Just a little longer," as undeterred as ever by his temper Shiho turned away from the screen, though her hands never left the keypad, "You know, it really is unseemly for a superior officer to act in such a way," Yzak was just about ready to rebuke that statement, until she continued, "I recommend Captain Elsman be stood down for inappropriately flirtatious behavior."

"Wait, now, hold on a minute!" Dearka protested inanely, "I thought you were on my side!"

"Did you? Now, however did you come to that conclusion?" Shiho gave him a questioning look, "After the way I handed your ass to you in Academy? I would have thought you learned your lesson."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Yzak was enjoying this a lot more than he would ever let on, and not solely because he remembered the thrashing Dearka had received a few years before, "I shall take your complaint into consideration. There should be sufficient evidence to convict him by now."

"Now, guys, come on..." Dearka was starting to whine, but before he could get any further Shiho interrupted.

"There! I'm done. We can fire when you're ready, Commander."

* * *

"Your _son_?" It was Patrick who finally broke the weighted silence, his expression one of incredulous disbelief, "That's not possible! He's far too old to be..."

"It was an unfortunate side effect," Gilbert waved off his argument, effectively silencing the only one capable of speaking, "Upon administration of the prototype the cells within his body were affected in such a way that he aged rapidly within a matter of a few years, before slowing during the teenage stage, and reaching a complete and utter halt in the adult phase. It proved somewhat useful in having him infiltrate ZAFT, for his age was sufficient to enroll, and later to become a commander of the elite. His intelligence was also tampered with, making him a genius amongst his classmates, though all this came at a cost, and it was necessary for him to take regular medication for the untoward side effects that came as a part of these advantages. But, despite appearances, and all of this, he is still your twin," he turned back to Rey, as did both the other two observers, undeterred by the stricken expression on the young pilot's face, "And _I _am still your father."

"No..." Rey fell rather than sunk to his knees, eyes wide in dismay, "No, that's not possible! You can't be..."

"All this tells us nothing," the Chairman interjected, before Gilbert could continue his cruel revelations, "You _still_ haven't explained to us what it is you want, and what it was you _did_ to Rau Le Creuset."

"Ah, my apologies, Mister Chairman," distracted for the moment Gilbert turned his attention back to the oldest of his audience, and Athrun dropped quickly into a crouch, doing his best to provide a supporting hand on the stunned youth's shoulder, though it was difficult when one's hands were bound, "I do seem to have strayed off track. The project itself was a method of genetic manipulation that decreases and eventually destroys the capability of the human brain to entertain aggressive tendencies. Essentially, it's task was to destroy the part of the brain that contributed to such feelings, so that such emotions as rage, hate, and anger would cease to exist. Unfortunately, it has to be adapted to each individual separately, and the administration has to be perfectly created. Rau was a test subject, and unfortunately a failure, though we did succeed in affecting his mind in other ways, his aggression actually became worse, and it was fortunate for us that he had to rely on us for his medication, otherwise he may have turned on us. After the failure with Rau, what funds I had were depleted severely, and it was necessary to seek sponsorship, which is where the failure came to prove very useful."

"You used Rau as a tool," Athrun concluded, his mind racing in an attempt to consume the boggling facts being presented to him, "Then_ you're_ the one who started this war! Your sponsors were the military producers, you got them a war which in turn gave them profit, and so _you_ had the necessary funds to complete your research!"

"Very clever," Gilbert gave him a condescending smile, "And correct as well. Though it did take time for the war to begin, and much precious work went into it, often thwarted by the efforts of Clyne and his faction. But, my interference began before then. The project I was involved in was born on the Seventh Colony, we had labs there, and many precious pieces of equipment. When Le Creuset proved to be a failure and our funding reached it's limit, we realized we were going to lose what we had, so we took drastic measures."

"You destroyed the Seventh Colony?" Patrick's tone was one of righteous anger now, and the condemning note in his voice showed feelings Athrun could not help but share. How could this man possibly believe the nonsense he was spouting? How could he believe that after all the lives he had destroyed _he_ could be the one to stop all conflict? He had used the world, he had used his children, and yet he still believed _he_ was the only one who could see the right path?

"I did, a most grievous loss of lives, to be certain, but it gave me the facilities I needed," Gilbert had finally reseated himself, adopting a posture befitting of a king, before proceeding with the same absolute calm, "Once I had the Seventh Colony as a home base, I began to seize control of the Earth Forces, whilst Rau took control of ZAFT. The Earth Forces believed I was creating a biological weapon that could destroy all Coordinators without touching the Naturals, and thus they accepted every order I gave. When the destruction of the Seventh Colony failed to get me the war I needed, Rau had the members of the ruling families assassinated one after another, and finally, after one last move against the PLANTs, the embers ignited, and the plan moved forward once again. War is beautiful, in it's own way, and from this battle will be born humanity anew. For I have completed my research, and now all that needs to be done is for you, Rey Za Burrel, to accept your role in this plan. You are the final key to proving the answer has finally been given, and when the world erupts in despair, I shall be the one to provide them with that same answer. As soon as I have successfully eliminated the ability to start conflict within one person, I can adapt the administration to others as well, and then, we shall finally have an everlasting peace."

"You're crazy!" Athrun protested, getting back to his feet, "That isn't peace! That's forcing people not to fight, eliminating the possibility at all... It _is_ taking away free will!"

"But how can it be wrong if it stops the killing?" Gilbert remarked placidly, "Are you saying it's wrong for people to no longer have the choice to fight? For them to be prevented from needlessly destroying life? With this plan, war will cease to exist at all, is that wrong?"

"I didn't say that," Athrun shook his head, but he did not back down. He was finally beginning to understand now what it was Caggallie had been trying to tell him back when he had first made the decision to join the Clyne Faction, and with that understanding, he could not accept this, "I know what horrors war brings, I know, I've fought in one myself. I know what it is like to lose people you love, and I know what it feels like to take other's lives."

"Then you agree that it needs to be eliminated?"

"I agree that it would be better if the world no longer saw a single war," Athrun rebuked the comment, "But I don't agree with you making that choice for everyone in the world. It's not a fit answer to the problem when it isn't a decision people have made for themselves, when it isn't their choice, but yours. You'd be eliminating war, stopping the fighting, but it wouldn't be because people knew better, or because they had chosen to live peacefully, it would be because you had _made_ them, it would be your decision, not anyone else's, and that's why I can't agree with you. I can't agree that the only option left for us is to take away our ability to make that choice, because if we can't choose between good and evil on our own, then we don't deserve to live in the first place."

"But the peace you speak of will never be realized, you must see this," Gilbert raised a hand in an offhand wave, "Because, no matter how many of you decide that peace is the correct path, there will always be those who decide it is not. The conflict will last forever, the death and the grief that goes with it. You are willing to subjugate the world to enslavery at the hands of war, just to avoid being beneath _my_ hand?"

"I do not deny that the picture you paint sounds perfect," Athrun lowered his voice, aware now he was being watched by just about everyone in the room, "And maybe, it _is_ what the world needs, but it should still be their choice. A future we don't build for ourselves is no future at all, the decision _must_ be ours. If people don't have the ability to fight, if they are refused the willpower necessary, then how will they have the willpower to live? Life itself is a battle, conflict is a necessary part of life, conflict, not war, and you would take that entire aspect away?"

"It is a sacrifice I am prepared to make," Gilbert replied simply, "Given what could be gained, I should think you would too."

"But just because you're willing to make it, doesn't mean the rest of the world is, and..."

Athrun was cut off as the ground beneath his feet shook suddenly, the entire structure of the GENESIS rumbling, sending those near walls grasping for a hand hold, and those not more often than not to the floor. Athrun seized the brief distraction in both hands, moving stealthily and quickly, so that by the time the rumbling had stopped Gilbert was not aware of what it was he had done.

"What was that?" the dark haired man demanded, already on his feet, "Someone tell me what is going on!"

"The cannon just fired, sir," one of the men had hurried over the console, and was rapidly pressing buttons on the screen, "It was aimed at the fragments of the Seventh Colony..But, how? No one ordered it fired..."

"Yzak." Athrun did not mean to utter that thought aloud, and he realized his mistake the moment he had done so, when Gilbert glanced at him quickly, before turning back to the soldiers on guard.

"The rest of the team must have escaped! Find them, now, and make sure they're taken care of this time!"

"Right away, sir!"

Saluting the lead soldier bolted from the room, followed quickly by the rest of those present, and seeing his chance Athrun swiftly snapped the remains of his restraints apart, lifting the gun Rau had dropped and he had retrieved to point it squarely at Gilbert. Hearing the gun cock the man swung about instantly, his face blank as he studied the barrel pointed at him for a moment, before uttering calmly.

"I really wouldn't," he stated softly, "Not unless you want to destroy the last surviving piece of your precious mother."

"What are you talking about?" Taken aback Athrun rose from his crouched position quickly, not removing his aim from Gilbert for an instant, suspecting a trap, and prepared to make for cover if necessary. His father had pulled himself back into a seated position, though Athrun could only spare him a brief glance, just enough to see a startled expression flicker across his visage at Gilbert's words.

"You mean you don't know? Ah, I must have intruded before Rau had a chance to explain," completely undeterred by his armed opponent Gilbert dropped his own gun carelessly to the floor, "Would you care for a full explanation, then?"

"I don't know what you're playing at," Athrun remarked darkly,keeping his hands steady with an effort, his finger only a twitch away from pulling the trigger, "But you aren't going to get away with it. You've gone too far with this mad scheme of yours, and cost too many lives. I don't know whether the world wants what you have to offer or not, but I'm not going to let you have your way, if that means I have to take responsibility for not preventing the conflict then so be it, but I am _not_ going to let you use the world as your plaything!"

"You can't destroy me," Gilbert smirk was one of smug confidence, "Your mother's memory is too precious to you for you to harm something she created. After all, Lenore Zala was the founder of the Heron Project. Do you deny it, Chairman Zala?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Patrick met Athrun's wavering gaze steadily, obviously trying to convey reassurance, though there was a lingering doubt in his words that prevented that effort from being successful, "Lenore would never have been involved in something like this!"

"Oh, but she was, that's the reason she paid the price for it," Gilbert's smile was almost frightening, and unconsciously Athrun took a step back, standing just in front of Rey, who was now working frantically to remove his own bindings, "She told you of the Heron Project, Chairman Zala, though it didn't have the same name back then. A 'mission to unite the world under one belief, to make humanity see eye to eye, and live in harmony'."

Athrun felt his stomach turn the moment Gilbert finished his utterance, he had heard those words before, spoken at his mother's funeral, a quote from a speech she herself had made, whilst discussing plans for a new worldwide project, a project she had initiated on the Seventh Colony two years before he was born. But, that couldn't be the same thing Gilbert was speaking of, it just couldn't be! A low growl was the only response Patrick gave, and clearly realizing he had robbed all of them of any chance to rebuke his statement, Gilbert proceeded calmly.

"Lenore Zala was the person who formed the group of researchers stationed upon the Seventh Colony, those who were investigating artificial ways to prevent violence, the group I became a part of. There were very few of us, and most of us were relatively young, but all of us firmly believed that the world was heading down a path of self destruction, and, even if it required intervention that might not be welcomed, that path had to be stopped. We realized, before anyone else, that war would inevitably lead to where it has now, and we made it our own personal mission to prevent that. Lenore was one of our strongest supporters, her funding our greatest asset, and I have no doubt she would have stayed with us for the entire journey, had she not had to leave when _you_ were born," he gestured at Athrun vaguely, "But, even after she left, we followed through with the desires she had expressed upon forming the Heron Project, and everything we have ever done has been as she intended it to be. Your mother was a woman with vision, the initiator of the Heron Project. I suppose that is why Rau had a grudge against her, for it was she who was responsible for forming the organization that stole his childhood. This is the cause she died for, and now you are going to destroy this cause as well?"

Slowly, the man took a step forward, then another, and Athrun realized vaguely that his hands were trembling now, the gun shaking in his grip. It wasn't true! It couldn't be true! But, then, why couldn't he find the words to deny it? The Heron Project? Had he ever heard his mother mention that name? He did not know, but his father had not spoken yet, had not offered denial, and that in itself was confirmation enough that what Gilbert had said was true. This had been his mother's effort to prevent the world turning on itself, the last piece of her legacy left alive, and he was going to destroy it simply by pulling the trigger. It was only when Gilbert was standing right in front of him, only inches from the end of the barrel, that he realized he _couldn't_ pull that trigger. To do so would be going against everything he had ever tried to achieve, against his attempts to protect his family, and would only add to the guilt he felt at not having been able to save his mother. He had been partly responsible for her death, because he had left her there, so now, how could he destroy the only piece of her that survived?

"You can't stop me, it's not in your willpower. You're too selfish to destroy your mother's dream to 'save' the world," Gilbert reached out with his hand to push the barrel of the weapon to the floor, Athrun not even resisting the gesture, his body frozen in place, so that all he could do was stare at the man before him in numb shock, "You can't stop me. No one has the power to stop me now."

"Wrong again, bastard!" Gilbert swung about, and Athrun started as well, turning to stare at the figure that had appeared in the doorway like some sort of avenging angel, blond hair billowing about her face in the zero gravity, providing a frame for the blazing brown gold of her eyes, her hands completely steady on the hilt of the gun in hand. She took aim within seconds, though it seemed like hours, and as her fingers closed about the trigger, she uttered the ultimatum, "_I_ do."


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: The Guardian of the Songstress**

"Was that...GENESIS?" Kira frowned at the flashing screen for a moment, wondering at the blast which had just shuddered the entire vessel, then jumping when he realized he was being hailed, and hurriedly pressing the receive option, "Meyrin, what's going on?"

"Oh, I was looking for Miss Lacus," Meyrin looked slightly taken aback at the fact it was Kira who had answered the intercom, though she proceeded the moment Lacus moved into her line of sight, "We have a coded message from the GENESIS," she reported quickly, "From Commander Yzak Joule. He said they have control of the canon again, and we'd better not shoot until they're clear."

"And that tremor?" Lacus was acting remarkably composed, holding herself together with a tenacity that Kira had to admire, though he had to wonder how messy it would be when she finally broke, "That was the Seventh Colony being destroyed?"

"Yes ma'am," Meyrin bobbed her head quickly, "Rock fragments struck us, but the remains of the Colony have been almost completely obliterated. Ninety percent demolished."

"Then it's over," Lacus leant her head against Kira's shoulder, looking suddenly tired, "We've won. What's Commander Joule's next move?"

"He says they're going to self destruct the GENESIS," Meyrin frowned down at something they could not see, "Apparently, there are still members of the Earth Forces on board, and he doesn't want to leave it active in their hands."

"Will they be all right?" Kira queried, not failing to remember for a moment that both his sister and his best friend were aboard that monstrosity.

"Commander Joule seems to believe they'll have plenty of time to get off the GENESIS," Meyrin reassured him at once, hesitating a moment, before proceeding in a somewhat rushed manner, "Miss Lacus, I'd like to request permission to leave my post. It's not that I'm slacking off or anything, but the battle is over and Nichol is still..."

"Of course, Miss Hawk," Lacus nodded at once, stiffening visibly, "Go right ahead. You should have asked earlier."

"Oh...Thank you, ma'am!" Meyrin waited only long enough to utter those few words before shutting down the connection, and Kira could easily imagine her bolting from the bridge of the Eternal. Hiding a smile at the thought he slid an arm around Lacus' shoulder, her head still resting against his collar bone.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, thank you, Kira," She nodded, smiling slightly, "But right now I think I should go. There are people who need me aboard these three vessels, and I will not let them down."

* * *

Shin drifted back into unconsciousness without taking note of the fact one of Luna's arms was in a sling, a fortunate occurrence, perhaps, because she had no way of knowing how he would have reacted to the fact _she_ was watching over him when she herself had regained consciousness only a short time before. She had been awake before that, until she had heard he was found, but around about then was when the sedatives had kicked in, and she had woken only a few minutes or so before he had. Her injury had occurred during her near suicidal run on those two mobile suits, and she knew how fortunate she was not to have come out any worse for wear than she had. That had been thanks in part to the Kusanagi retrieving her so swiftly, right after the Minerva was...

_No_. She shook her head swiftly, unable as yet to think that thought calmly and rationally. Talia Gladys had been the woman responsible for teaching her the ways of war, her and Heine Westenfluss, and she was sure were it not for the both of them she would not have been the pilot she was today. And yet, it was both of them that had gone first, the ones who had taught her, the entire _crew_ of that vessel, and Siegel Clyne, all because she had been unable to destroy both the enemy vessels. Oh, she had got one, certainly, but the other had escaped and her vessel had been too damaged to follow. She was so angry at herself for that, so downright furious, but at the same time she was struggling not to give in to the urge to simply break down and cry.

Thinking that Shin was gone as well had been heartbreaking for her, because she had wanted him to live long enough to realize there was something for him beyond this ruthless need for revenge, something more to life than bringing death. It was probably that anxiety alone that had kept the drugs in her system from taking affect until Kisaki sent through word that the Impulse had been found, and it had been in a rush of relief that she finally closed her eyes and slept.

It was all over now, she knew, no matter what happened. They had saved the Earth from the Seventh Colony, destroyed it, and if the GENESIS still fired, it did not matter, for they had done all they could. She trusted those aboard the super weapon, she trusted her Commander, Rey, and the two Miss Lacus had sent to uphold their side of the plan, so she did not fear for anything right now, a situation that allowed her to turn her mind to what came next.

What _did_ come next? She didn't have an answer for that, and she really had no idea how things would work out now. ZAFT still had control of the Earth, but the PLANTs were in revolt, and the Earth itself was suffering, so it was probably not going to be long before true rebellions were sparked down there as well. In truth, she believed the separate governments would need to be reestablished if they ever hoped to repair the damage that had been done.

Her line of thought was broken as she heard the soft swish of the door opening, and looking up expectantly she felt herself starting in surprise, "Miss Lacus!"

"Hello, Miss Hawk," she could not believe the young songstress could smile at such a time as this, she had just lost her own _father_, but whilst there was grief hidden beneath the surface of those bright blue eyes, there was also compassion, and genuine concern for those who had fought for her cause. Luna could now well understand why so many people had chosen to follow Lacus Clyne, she was an idol, in every sense of the word. "I trust you are feeling better? Kisaki informed me you were badly injured."

"Not as badly as Shin," Luna countered quickly, "It's just a broken arm, and a little bit of a headache."

"I'm glad to hear it," Lacus glanced briefly at the young man who had accompanied her, someone Luna had never officially been introduced to, though she knew him well enough from sitting through all his trials, "I thought you might like to know that Miss Meyrin is perfectly healthy, and that she sends her best wishes for your recovery. She would have come herself, except Nichol was badly injured."

"Is he all right?" Luna stiffened instantly, knowing full well her sister's feelings in that matter, but Lacus could only shrug her shoulders lightly.

"We don't know yet. He is stable for the moment, but his injuries were severe."

"I see," Luna dropped her gaze a moment, picking at the blanket covering Shin's slumber form, before blurting, "How many..."

"Martin DaCosta was killed, and I'm sure you know the price your team paid," Lacus' face sobered instantly, "Commander Waltfield's machine was almost completely destroyed, he's been awake, but...he's going to lose some limbs, or so the doctors tell me. Most of our machines were demolished, save Saviour and the one Mu piloted, and the Eternal is crippled. The Archangel isn't too bad off, much better then the Kusanagi, but we lost all the pilots who were using the meteor breakers."

"We couldn't protect them," Luna muttered in shame, "We tried, but..."

"You did everything within your power, the only thing anyone ever asked of you, or could ask of you," Lacus cut her off before she could go any further, "On behalf of the Clyne Faction, and on my own behalf, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks for your efforts in this operation. Thanks to the actions of yourself and the rest of your comrades, the Earth has been saved. I am in your debt."

"M-miss Lacus...!" Luna stuttered, unable to respond to that, but the young woman before her merely cocked her head to the side and smiled brightly.

"Now, then, I shall leave you. There are others who I must speak with, but, please, get some rest. You deserve it after all that you have done. Kira?"

The young man nodded, taking her arm as she turned to depart, leaving Luna staring after her openmouthed. It was a few minutes after the door had shut that she finally recalled herself, sinking down to her knees beside Shin's bed, burying her face in the mattress, and beginning to sob.

* * *

"Miss Lacus," Kisaki inclined his head as the young woman stepped onto the bridge, turning away from the conversation he had engaged in with Murrue and Mu, both hailing him from the Archangel, "I was not aware you were on board."

"Kira brought me," Lacus stepped up into the view of the camera, smiling as she met the other two eye for eye, "Captain Ramius, Lieutenant La Flaga, it is a relief to see you both well."

"I could say the same thing," Mu returned with an offhand wave, "For a moment there I thought we'd lost the Eternal. How's Nichol doing?"

"He is alive for the moment, and the doctors seem to believe he will stay that way," Lacus replied briefly, before swiftly shifting the subject, "You may tell Natarle we have had word from the GENESIS, and that Commander Joule has regained control of the situation, though I am sure she has already been told that by the General. Please convey my thanks to her for her aid, we would not have been able to prevent the debris of the Colony from hitting something had it not been for her."

"I will be sure to do that," Murrue nodded steadily, an unreadable emotion on her face, before proceeding quietly, "What are we to do now, Miss Lacus?"

"Of that, even I am not certain," it was something of a large admission, but Kisaki did not lay blame on her for admitting to it. The battle was over, at their end at the very least, but what of the aftermath? "The first thing we shall need to do is address the situation both on Earth and in the PLANTs, and I think it might be best if Miss Azrael took over her brother's command of the Earth Alliance. Halberton is loyal to her, so that must mean she has other followers within the forces. I shall do what I can for the PLANTs, hopefully with the help of Councilor Amalfi and Councilor Canaver we shall be able to arrange for the withdrawal of ZAFT forces from the territory of the other countries, but, unfortunately, I believe we shall have to address the unrest in the PLANTs first. The moment we have confirmed the GENESIS is secure and our comrades are safe I intend to travel to the PLANTs myself and give a public address."

"Hey, I understand the need," Mu's voice was hesitant, "But, is that really a wise choice? There are some factions up there who would like to see _you_ dead as well."

"I am aware of that," there was a sort of steely resolve descending over the young woman's face now, and Kisaki was reminded of a similar expression he had seen on other, "But, it may very well be the only way to address this issue. I am prepared to face whatever consequences may come."

"I see," Murrue dropped her gaze a moment, before lifting it again, "And what of these three vessels, Miss Lacus? Are we to disband? Return to our separate forces?"

"The Kusanagi belongs to Orb," Lacus gave a slow nod, "And the Eternal, though a part of the Clyne Faction, shall be returning there too. Despite having won this battle there is a chance Orb could still be in danger, and I am not going to let that country be destroyed for a lack of strength. What the Archangel does is entirely your own decision, Captain Ramius, yours, and your crew."

"Then we will return to Orb as well, after we have seen Natarle to wherever she wishes to go," Murrue did not hesitate to give her response, though that might have been due in part to the similar discussion she had already had with Kisaki prior to Lacus' entrance, "I think all of us feel a sort of...attachment, to that country."

"It is settled then," Lacus gave a decisive nod, "We have had news that GENESIS is secure, and Commander Joule intends to self destruct it. I will let you know the moment we receive further word. Thank you, Captain Ramius."

Without waiting for more than the briefest response Lacus turned and walked off the bridge again, leaving Kisaki to stare after her a moment, turning back just in time to catch the slight shake of Mu's head.

"Sometimes," the blond pilot uttered lightly, "I have to wonder if that young lady is really a human at all, and not some sort of angel sent here to set us right."

* * *

"Hey, um, Lacus," Kira hurried to keep up with the pink haired girl's purposeful stride, trying to catch sight of the expression on her face, with mixed success, "Maybe you should take it easy for a moment, you need to rest as well, you know."

"I'm fine, Kira," she gave him a fond smile, a smile that looked all wrong on her face, strained, forced, and far from natural, "These are things that need to be done. I wish to speak to the rest of the Kusanagi's crew, and then I'll transfer back to the Eternal and see to the wounded there. We'll go to the Archangel then so you can see your friends."

"That's great, Lacus, but..." he had to reach out and seize her arm to bring her to a standstill, meeting that innocently inquisitive bright gaze without hesitation, "Lacus, I..I think you need to take some time, just to sort yourself out. I know you have responsibilities, and I know you want to make sure everyone else is all right, but unless you give yourself some time just to sort your own feelings out, you're not going to be in any fit state to look after anyone else."

"I thank you for your concern, Kira," he hated the way she put a fake smile on her face just to reassure him, and it was all he could do to stop himself interrupting her, "But, I truly am all right."

"No," he didn't have time to think of a way to prove her lie, so he merely reached out and pulled her up against him, wrapping his arms about her securely, "No, you're not all right. Don't lie to me, Lacus, it won't help."

"Kira..." For a moment he thought she was going to deny it, then abruptly her arms had snaked around him, clutching onto him like a lifeline as she buried her head on his shoulder, "Oh, Kira! He's gone, Kira, my father...he's..."

"I know." Quietly, he stroked the sobbing young woman's hair, frowning at the corridor wall before him, thought it could hardly hold the answers he sought. How many more people were going to have to die before this was over? How many more people were going to be reduced to tears because one by one their loved ones were being destroyed right before their very eyes? He didn't know the answer to any of those questions, but what he did know was that Lacus held the power to change all of that, her influence, her very being had that power. She was the songstress of ZAFT, their beacon of light, a light to the whole world, and so... "Don't worry," he sighed softly, voice little more than a whisper, "Everything will be all right, because I'm right here, and I'll protect you."


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: The Final Act**

"I can set a time delay on the self destruct for about thirty minutes, but that's the maximum, I can't make it any longer."

"That'll be plenty long enough," Yzak nodded swiftly, turning to speak to Halberton over his shoulder, "Can you get these prisoners out of here on that shuttle?"

"You want me to...?" The General gave a start, but Yzak cut in impatiently, not having the time or the patience to argue with him.

"Yes, I do. Take whatever weapons you need to keep them under control, just get them off this place before it explodes. Rendezvous with the Archangel, or the Eternal even, just get out of range."

For a moment he thought the man was going to keep on arguing, but at last he simply shrugged his shoulders in frustration and gestured towards those still crouched on the ground,directing them out the door. Yzak did not wait to see how successful his efforts were, turning back to the digits flickering across the screen, a screen where, but a moment before, he had witnessed success as GENESIS blew what was left of that damned Colony into oblivion, and then sent a message to the Eternal. Truthfully, he did not understand half of what was going on inside that screen, but so long as Shiho did, and so long as she didn't blow them all to hell, he supposed it did not matter.

"You know, Yzak," Dearka seemed to have sobered slightly, now back to his more bearable state, where at least half of his comments could be considered sensible, "Thirty minutes isn't that long in a vessel this big."

"Zala and the others will be in the control centre," Yzak was confident of that, there was no other place they could be, unless they randomly decided to go for a stroll, in which case their end would be their own fault, "It won't take us long to get there."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"There isn't an option for more time," Shiho told him, turning away from the console, "Otherwise, someone would be able to shut it down. Our time's started, by the way."

"The hell it has!" Dearka bounced to his feet at once, halfway across the room in the blink of an eye, though he did pause once he reached the door, "Well, are you guys coming or what?"

Sighing Yzak pushed off the nearest console and floated effortlessly over to join his companion, following Dearka through the door, though he waited until Shiho had caught up before proceeding, unable to quite keep the curiosity out of his voice as he demanded.

"You know, it's not that I'm not grateful or anything, but why _did_ you help us back there? We could have been terrorist working with the Earth Forces, you know."

"With the way you always talked about Naturals?" Shiho snorted as the three of them filed into the elevator, Dearka frantically slamming the buttons, as if pressing them harder would make it faster, "You never made it a secret you hated them, Commander, not even in Academy."

"You got that right...!" Dearka sniggered, though his face was innocently blank when Yzak turned to shoot him a warning glare.

"Besides," Shiho added, more soberly this time, "We may not have been in all the same classes, or even in the same teams once we graduated, but there is still one thing we have in common. All _three_ of us."

"And that is?" Dearka pressed, when Yzak refused to do so.

"Rau Le Creuset," Shiho tilted her head to the side, smiling lightly, "None of us can stand the man."

"You didn't even serve under him," Dearka was watching the countdown of the floors, but he still seemed able to partake in the conversation, "What is there for you to dislike?"

"I was assigned beneath his direct command following his promotion," Shiho corrected him, "Transferred from Commander Lawson's team to serve as one of his personal pilots."

"Commander Lawson's?" Yzak stiffened as he recognized the name, "You were in the Special Forces?"

"I was one of their main infiltration agents, assigned there directly after Academy," Shiho nodded, "As a matter of fact I was one of those who infiltrated Heliopolis, and I was also amongst those who scouted out Artemis before you're assault. Actually, most of the information your team received came from my unit. I'm still kicking your ass, Elsman," Dearka's grumbling went ignored as the young woman continued, "But, after the war was concluded, I was taken from Lawson's squad and assigned to Rau Le Creuset, and later placed here. I lost track of you guys then, though I can't say I'm that surprised to see you here, not after the news from the PLANTs."

"But, if you were here this entire time," Yzak's eyes widened as realization hit him, "Then GENESIS was never seized by the enemy at all! It was all Rau's work."

"By the enemy?" Shiho looked bewildered, "We were boarded by some soldiers of ZAFT sent by Rau Le Creuset who took over the main control centre and sent us up here, but it was never in the hands of the enemy."

"That bastard," Yzak fumed, "Then it was all a plot to get the Akatsuki and the GENESIS all along. I wonder if he had something to do with dropping the Seventh Colony as well..." he trailed off as the elevator doors swung open, spinning about in midair to face the other two, "Dearka, take Shiho and get to the hangar bay. Make sure we can actually _get_ our mobile suits. I'm going after Zala."

"Okay, then, but you'd better not be late!" Dearka called after him, but Yzak was quick to retort, speaking over his shoulder as he shouted his response.

"_You'd_ better not be late, or else _I'll_ be the one kicking your ass!"

* * *

The silence that reined in the room following that single shot was absolute, so that even the hum of the engines seemed dimmed, leaving the occupants of the room to exchange rapid glances, everyone waiting for someone else to speak, though they were all surprised at who it was who inevitably shattered the stillness.

"A fine shot, Miss Attha," Rey had finally succeeded in freeing himself from his bindings, and he rose to his feet instantly, "Though I am curious as to how you got out of your cell."

"We had help," now that the silence had been broken Caggallie felt it safe to release the breath she had been holding,lowering her hands and pointing the barrel of the weapon to the floor, "Athrun?"

Startled from whatever thoughts were running through his head right at that moment the young man gave a jerk, turning to her for only a brief moment, before his attention focussed elsewhere. "Father!"

"Don't. Move."

Athrun's rush to reach his injured parent halted halfway as he spun about, his reaction a mere mirror to all the others as he stared in dismayed horror at the bloody apparition now displayed before them. The white of Rau Le Creuset' uniform was soaked in red, and his mask was gone, blood streaming from a wound on his forehead, caused by when he had fallen forward, but there was a lethal edge to the blue eyed gaze that almost made Caggallie wish the mask was still there. The man was armed, holding a pistol he had retrieved from Muruta's corpse, unnoticed in the tense situation, though how he was still standing after being shot in the back was beyond her. And, right now, she was more concerned at the fact that weapon was currently pointed directly at Athrun.

"Drop the weapon, Miss Attha," his voice was utterly calm as he turned to her, ignoring Patrick, who had dragged himself to his feet the moment the events began to unfold, "Or else you may discover the hard way which one of us is quicker on the trigger."

Caggallie obediently dropped the gun as if it was a hot poker, exchanging an alarmed glance with Athrun, who returned it with perfect calm. She found it irritating how he could face his own death with such utter tranquility, damn him, but it was not something she could set about rectifying at this current point and time.

"Everything he said was true, you realize," Rau gestured with his other hand towards the floating corpse of the monster Caggallie could not find it within herself to regret disposing of. Gilbert Durandal had been a deluded fool, but more than that he had used human beings as his own playthings, his actions despicable and immoral. The fact that such a man had sought to be the supreme judge of the entire world sickened her, and she had no qualms about what she had done, none whatsoever. "Lenore Zala was the woman responsible for all this. She created this hell, and she created me." his eyes were blazing now with insane rage, and Caggallie unconsciously took a step forward in fear, freezing when his gaze turned to her, but minutely, before turning to Patrick, "_Her_ dream, _her_ world! It is because of her I was turned into this, the reason I took such pleasure in taking her life! My only regret is that I wasn't able to be there to see her death myself! But now," he paused, head lowering slightly to focus directly down the line of aim of his gun, "Athrun Zala, you disrupted my plans again and again, it is because of _you_ my schemes failed, and yet, perhaps this is a much more fitting end. Lenore Zala has paid for her crimes, but her efforts for peace, her plans, were only made necessary because of the actions of people like _you_," he turned to Patrick, meeting the man eye to eye, glare to glare.

"So, how shall I punish you? Shall I shoot you, or shall I leave you alone in the world," he switched his focus back to Athrun, and Caggallie felt her stomach turn at the cruel smile now forming on his face, "Shall I destroy all that is left of your life, and leave you alone, as I have been."

"Don't you _dare_ touch that trigger!" the absolute fury in Patrick's voice was nearly a palpable thing, and Caggallie was almost in awe of the expression on his face, though it had no affect on Rau, who merely laughed.

"Oh, I shan't, not yet," taking a step back he gestured with his spare hand towards the flashing lights on the console, "These alarms mean the GENESIS is about to self destruct, I'd say we have just over twenty minutes left, but, before then, there is still time for me to fire on the PLANTs."

"You wouldn't dare," Athrun snapped abruptly, "You've lost, Rau, give it up!"

"I'll destroy them all," Rau merely laughed in response, clearly beyond reason, "Then, I'll destroy you too, so that as you die you know you failed, that the world you tried to save so desperately was in fact lost!"

"It won't happen," Caggallie choked on her breath as she watched Rey stepped out from behind Athrun, armed, and ready to fire, "I told you I wouldn't let you destroy the world."

"And I told _you_ your attempts to stop me were futile," Rau sneered, "You should have joined me whilst you had the chance, brother, now you'll die in the inferno with all the rest of them!"

"I wouldn't count on it, you insane bastard!" Caggallie jumped as Yzak appeared beside her, even more so when she realized the weapon in his hand was a machine gun, "Why don't you just try it, Rau Le Creuset? You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do this."

"Oh, I can well imagine," Rau did not so much as blink, merely turning to look at Yzak directly, whilst his gun arm remained outstretched in the other direction, "But you must know that the moment you pull that trigger, mine will also go off."

"I trust Athrun has enough reflexes to duck." Yzak's response was dry and unconcerned, and Caggallie wondered if hitting him at this point would just escalate matters.

"Fifteen minutes left," Rau chortled, "But, you have lost this round, Commander Joule."

Caggallie could barely believe her eyes as she swung about and found _more_ guns pointed at them, Djibril's hand not even so much as quavering as he smirked at them, "Drop the weapon, ZAFT lackey."

Glowering with such vehemence that Caggallie was sure the enemy was going to turn to ashes right then and there Yzak obediently lowered the gun, Rey a moment behind, and with an abrupt laugh of triumph Rau turned to the console. Caggallie should have known what was going to happen to next, she should have, but she didn't even have a chance to react as it did. There was nothing she could do to stop Yzak Joule when he shoved her to the ground with one hand, the other pulling on the leather strap attached to his gun, jerking it back into his hand as he opened fire, though he must have known they were going to shoot back. There was nothing she could do, either, as Athrun used the Commander's seat as a way of pushing off, launching himself at the insane man from behind, though there was no way he could have reached Rau before the man spun around, using his spare hand to seize Athrun by the collar and drive him into the console..._hard, _the young man's head jerking as he was slammed against the metal surface.

But, though she could only watch all this helplessly, it was what followed that would haunt her dreams for years to come, the way in which she was frozen immobile, as helpless as Patrick Zala to do a single thing as Rau Le Creuset brought his gun into play. As, even whilst Rey discharged his own weapon again and again into his brother's back, he placed the barrel calmly against Athrun's chest, and fired.


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Victory?**

"So the Seventh Colony was destroyed? How very fortunate for the Earth."

William Sutherland, the Chief of Command stationed on the single, remaining moon base of the Earth Forces, as well as the man who held the second foremost position of command in the group Blue Cosmos, received the news in absolute calm. It was little more than had been predicted after all, for Rau Le Creuset and Gilbert Durandal had plotted their plans in such a mirror like fashion it was almost laughable, all because of the simple fact both of them had predicted the future events to come. It was Durandal who had enabled the colony to be dropped on the Earth, and Le Creuset who had constructed the weapons that would prevent that descent from being stopped. And, likewise, it was Durandal who had commissioned the construction of the GENESIS, using his hold over ZAFT through his lackey, and Rau who had foreseen the need to have a fallback plan of similar devastation. He did not doubt that both of them had had very different goals, from each other, and from Blue Cosmos, or, in other words, the Earth Forces, but in a way they had both done the latter a favor. Not only had they killed off the annoying personage of Muruta Azrael, but in dropping the Seventh Colony they had severely crippled the only force that could have been of any real danger at the current time, leaving him free to act as he wished.

The men Rau had sent to the GENESIS would be arriving here soon, he did not doubt, all those Blue Cosmos members who had infiltrated the cannon in disguise as ZAFT, and once they did it would finally begin. The move the Earth Forces had been waiting for, had _sacrificed _for, and yet the one move that would remove Coordinators from the world forever, ample reward for the cost paid.

Very soon, yes, very soon, they would be playing the PLANTs' requiem.

* * *

"**ATHRUN**!"

Even in her own ears, Caggallie sounded desperate, or perhaps hysterically frantic would have been a better means of explanation, the sound torn from her throat almost against her will one of pure, raw terror. She did not stop to think as she propelled herself forward, past the frozen figure of Patrick Zala, and pausing only to shove Rau's finally cold body out of the way. She reached Athrun only a moment after the shot had been fired, seizing a hold of him with trembling hands, so terrified of what she might now be holding that she did not at first register the all important fact she was being addressed.

"Caggallie. Caggallie! It's all right," it took a moment for her numb mind to register those green eyes were looking back at her, one of them half covered in the blood trickling down from beneath his hair, but the focus of the verdant gaze clear and unglazed, and the return grip on her arms light but firm. _Alive. He's alive! _"I'm all right. It's fine."

"But, but...He s-shot you!" she pushed herself away slightly, fearing some sort of figment of her imagination was responsible as she turned to seek proof, where the shot should have pierced through the flight suit, except that wasn't what met her gaze. Instead she found herself looking at the shattered remains of the pendant she had gifted him, the fragments of the red gem floating before her, the necklace having worked itself out from beneath his collar during the struggle. For a moment she could only stare, unable to comprehend the truth. She could not believe it, could not believe that that tiny, insignificant object had been enough to deflect the bullet that would have sealed the end of Athrun's life. But it _had_. By some miracle, the bullet had been unable to get past it, unable to pierce the protection of Ahmed's charm, _her _charm, and it had deflected what would otherwise have been a killing blow. The euphoria beginning to grip a hold of her was swiftly deflated by that thought, and she turned back up to study his face as the thought echoed in her mind. _Deflected, not stopped._

"You're bleeding." She winced inwardly as she brushed his hair back far enough to see the indent the shot had caused, though it was difficult to see anything clearly with all that blood. 'Fine' was hardly an accurate analysis of the damage caused, and she was amazed he was still conscious after a clip like that to the head, though by the sharp intake of breath the moment her fingers came into contact with the wound, it wasn't exactly painless either.

"You know," Yzak voice interrupted her examination, and she glanced up, not quite able to believe he had come out of _that_ reckless act unscathed. But, somehow, the enemy had actually failed to strike back under such an unexpected assault, and there was no sign of injury to be seen. It was yet another miracle, and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or scream. By the somewhat shellshocked expression on the Chairman's face, he didn't know either, whilst Rey had sagged against the nearest support in relief. "I hate to break this up and everything, but has it occurred to anyone that we have under ten minutes to get off this stupid lump of metal?"

"We're going," Caggallie nodded instantly, stunned that she could have forgotten something that important, before turning back to Athrun, a new problem already forming in her mind, "Can you fly?"

"I'll be fine." He had pushed himself upright using the console, a task that was made considerably easier by the lack of gravity, but the pinched expression on his face was enough to reveal that lie.

"Riiight." She rolled her eyes, taking a hold of his arm as she prepared to steer them both over to the entranceway, the same entranceway where Patrick Zala was standing, looking like someone had just punched him, _hard_, in the stomach. She couldn't blame him for that expression, either, for she felt the same. Yzak watched them both approach with an unreadable expression, speaking only once the pair of them had landed, his blue eyes narrowed as they studied his comrade.

"Can you actually see straight?"

"That depends on your definition of straight," Athrun had lifted a hand to cover the wound on his head, unable to disguise the grimace on his face, though his voice was still firmly reassuring, "I can make it."

Yzak's incredulous snort expressed his doubt on that account, but he did not hesitate to reach out and take Athrun's other arm, something Caggallie was immensely grateful for, because right now anything that sped along their passage was an advantage. This stupid cannon was enormous, they would be lucky if they made it back to the hangar before the entire thing went boom.

"Dearka had better have gotten those mobile suits ready," Yzak growled as the fivesome moved off, his thoughts apparently traveling down a similar path, "If he hasn't, he won't have to worry about dying in the explosion."

* * *

Shiho used the frame of the doorway to pull herself back down to the floor, frowning at the hangar a moment, before spinning back around to face Dearka to announce a somewhat disturbing fact, "Your mobile suits have been taken away."

"They've what?" It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that without those suits they would not be going anywhere fast, and Dearka stared at her in horror for a moment, contemplating in the back of his mind exactly how painful being burned to a crisp could be. "How long have we got left until this thing blows?"

"I'd say under twenty minutes," the young woman informed him, seeming strangely unperturbed, "But don't worry, they'll have been put into the hangars, no doubt. We just have to go to the control centre up there," she gestured to the outcropping, glass paneled room at one end of the hangar, "And open up the stalls. It really shouldn't be too much of a bother. Follow me."

Without waiting for him to either disagree or agree she pushed off the wall and began floating across the space between them and the room, Dearka left with no option but to follow her, though he could not help but feel unnecessarily exposed up here. It wasn't likely that any of the personnel had remained on board following the evacuation signal, but still, there wasn't much maneuverability in midair to dodge bullets. Nevertheless, in spite of his uncharacteristically morbid concerns, they reached the small room without interruption, Shiho quickly punching in the security code before entering the now deserted control centre, moving over to the console to search for the correct switches. Dearka merely waited in the doorway, keeping one eye on his partner and the other on the hangar doors, mentally willing them to open. They couldn't have that much time left now, and where the hell was Yzak, anyway?

"We're running out of time..." the mumbled mutter was quiet enough that Shiho did not hear him, though she did not remain working for long.

"What the...?" Her bewildered exclamation brought him out of his reverie, and turning he pushed himself further into the room, landing lightly beside her as he responded.

"What is it? Can't you open them?"

"No, opening them isn't a problem, I'm doing that right now, it's this," she tilted the screen slightly so he could read what was presented there, though it was hardly necessary as she provided commentary as well, "This is the evacuation order, but it commands all personnel to make for Requiem and execute Plan A. But, what the hell is Requiem?"

"You don't know?" Dearka blinked at her, astonished that someone actually stationed on the cannon should not know what the evacuation plan meant.

"No, and I've been stationed here long enough that I should," frowning she began to flick through the data on the screen, "What _is_ it?"

"Um, Shiho, we really don't have time..."

She held up a hand to silence him, speed reading the words before her, "Just give me a minute."

"Shiho, really, we're almost down to ten minutes..."

"Then go and get the suits primed for launch," she glanced up only to give him a sharp glare, "I need to see what this is!"

For a moment he considered forcibly dragging her away from the console, but all it took was the recollection of the many times he had been beaten by her in hand to hand to scratch that thought, and reluctantly he turned away to do as she said. Spotting his vessel the moment he stepped back outside the room he quickly making his way across to it, sliding into the cockpit with one, smooth motion. Other than being shoved within the hangar, nobody seemed to have touched the machine itself, and eagerly he booted up all the systems, at the same time glancing dubiously at the countdown on his screen.

"Seven minutes. Shiho, we need to go!"

"I know," the young woman retorted shortly, using the communicator from within the control center, "I'll be with you in a minute. The others had better arrive soon, or else they aren't even going to have time to start up their engines."

"I can carry one if I need to," Dearka responded, finishing his preflight checks and slowly moving the Legend out of it's hangar, acting on his words as he floated across to the opposite shed, where the formidable form of the Justice stood half in shadow, "And you can too, if you'd only get down here. Shiho...? Shiho!"

"I'm coming."

Dearka frowned, wondering why that statement sounded slightly strangled, before forgetting it briefly as the sight below drew a whoop of triumph from his lips. "All right! Here they are!" switching his communicator to broadcast he added a second shout, "Yo, Yzak, hurry up!"

The only response he got to that was an unflattering glare, before Yzak separated himself from the others and headed for the Destiny's cockpit, though the manner in which the rest of group split confused him. Caggallie accompanying Athrun in the Justice, whilst her own vessel... "Huh, I didn't know Athrun's old man could fly."

"Right now," Yzak had gotten into his cockpit with incredible speed, and Dearka jumped as he received an instant response, "He can probably fly better than Zala can. Are we clear for launch?"

"All clear, Commander,the enemy have abandoned the facility," Rey's response was atypically cool, "We have three minutes."

"Then let's get the hell out of here!"

Yzak punctuated his words by gunning the engines of the Destiny, almost flinging his machine from the hangar, though Dearka doubted his own launch was much more graceful. For now, at the very least, none of them were overly concerned with style. In fact, the only thing _he_ cared for was getting as far as possible from that mammoth before the thing decided to blow. Speaking of which...His thoughts were cut off as he was thrown forward violently with enough force he very nearly bit through his tongue, the straps over his shoulders just pulling him to halt before his head collided with the console, though it was moment before the stars in his vision, caused by a sudden lack of air in his lungs, cleared. Taking a deep, shaky breath he straightened slowly, activating his monitor, and letting out a low whistle as he watched the dying furnace that was all that remained of the GENESIS recede into the distance behind him, though something that size wasn't exactly going to fade away quickly.

"And that was cutting it far too close for comfort," he breathed a sigh of relief, fighting to hold back a slightly hysterical laugh, "Hey, Yzak, you guys still there?"

"Of course I am, idiot, I left before you!" his Commander snapped back, though his voice sounded slightly strained, and there was a brief hesitance before he proceeded, "Rey?"

"My vessel has taken damage, sir," Rey responded quietly, "The engines aren't functioning properly, but otherwise it seems fine."

"Fine. Athrun?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"What about you, Shiho?" Dearka interjected before Yzak could speak again, frowning when he did not receive an immediate response, "Hey, Shiho?"

"Where the hell are you, Hahnenfuss?" Yzak's snapped comment finally drew a response, though it was not what either had expected, a half sobbed, keening cry just short of a wail.

"The PLANTs!"

"What do you...Oh, no..." Dearka knew all the blood had likely drained from his face, his ears ringing were evidence enough of that, his hands stiff, immovable objects on the controls, and he could not bring himself to turn away from the sight that had presented itself on his forward camera. They had destroyed GENESIS, and the Seventh Colony, they had faced down the two threats that had been menacing their world, they had triumphed, beaten back the evil. It had been a battle against odds, a frantic struggle they had expected to lose, and yet they hadn't.

They had _won_.

So why, why oh why, was that thick beam of light now slicing it's deadly path through the colonies they called their home?


	35. Chapter 34

**Part Three: Remnants of Evil**

**Chapter 34: Rock the Boat**

Grief. Shock. Horror. Anguish. Panic. Despair.

There was no way to name the tormented currents resounding off the separate crews of the three ships, no words to express the complete and utter disbelief at what had transpired, manifested in so many ways in so many different people. Not a single person was unscathed by the events that had unfolded right before their eyes, events that had seen them helpless to intervene, and there was evidence of this in every portion of the Eternal. It was impossible to dismiss the sounds of grief often sounding from within the separate rooms, crew members whose families had been killed in the assault, which had destroyed no less than six of the PLANTs. Kira tried not notice, tried to banish the sobs of the bereaved, but it was impossible to ignore the shellshocked expressions on every face he passed, just a mere mirror expression of Lacus' own face when she had stepped onto the bridge and seen that horrific scene of destruction.

It had been too much, after everything they had been through, all the loss, pain, and sacrifice they had given to save themselves from this very situation, and then to have it all crumble down about them in ashes. It had been the final straw for Lacus as well, the last burden on the young woman's shoulders, and she had sobbed herself to sleep, exhausted and emotionally spent. Kira had left her in the care of Aisha, the older woman more than willing to support the last, remaining member of the Clyne Family, and Kira had taken that opportunity to go in search of his own sister. He had done what he could for Lacus for now, but there were still others who had a need of him, and _he_ was not one of those to have lost family. The people from the PLANTs would be grieving right now, and he was sure Athrun and Caggallie would both be as upset as Lacus was, even if they did not have it to add on top of other things.

He found them both in the second infirmary room, along with the entirety of the Joule Team, including the Chairman himself. Caggallie was standing just inside the door, a notable scowl on her face as she watched the nurse on duty tend to some sort of head trauma Athrun had sustained, though her expression lightened slightly on his appearance.

"Kira, you're all right!" He was not quite prepared for her to fling himself on him in her typical bear hug, and he staggered back, using the door to brace himself against her assault.

"Sorry," she muttered, somewhat sheepishly, once she seemed certain they were not both going to end up on the ground, "But, it so good to see you. Seeing the Eternal from outside..." She shuddered, not mentioning the other thing, and Kira did not either, turning to the other occupants of the room. Yzak Joule, Dearka Elsman, Rey Za Burrel, and a young woman he didn't recognize who looked as though she had been crying, though she was doing her best to hide it now. They had once fought each other, stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, and then faced each other in that court, though none of that mattered now. Differences were being shoved aside in the face of this tragedy, and Yzak did not even so much as give him his customary scowl, his gaze focussed downward, on the floor. But, no matter how much he wanted to let that silence last, to pretend it hadn't occurred, he had to ask the inevitable question.

"What happened?"

"We managed to destroy the GENESIS," it was Athrun who broke the silence, his voice soft, his hands clasped before him, and his eyes focussed firmly on his hands, rather than on the others' faces. The nurse had finished bandaging his head, and had moved on to the Chairman's bloodstained arm, leaving Caggallie free to go and seat herself beside him. Kira was thankful for that, because the desolation in his friend's voice was frightening. "But the self destruct mechanism had a fail safe. The moment the GENESIS was set to self destruct another cannon located on the moon began to charge, it fired at the exact same moment the GENESIS blew up."

"It's my fault!" the brunette pilot stated fiercely, "I should have known, I should have checked!...If I'd stayed on the GENESIS a moment longer, maybe I could have stopped it..."

"If you had stayed on the GENESIS a moment longer, you'd have been dead," Rey stated calmly, shockingly calm, in fact, "This is no ones fault, no ones, except the man who built that thing in the first place. Rau Le Creuset knew what was going to happen on the GENESIS, I don't know how, but somehow he knew, and so he had the other built. He knew he'd won when he tried to kill us at the very end."

"They'll fire it again," Yzak added, his voice low, barely suppressing the obvious fury he felt, "We have to destroy it as well."

"But how?" Dearka flung his arms up in frustration, "We don't have the means!"

"We do," Patrick interjected firmly, making his first contribution to the conversation since Kira had arrived, "The ZAFT forces stationed on Earth."

"That's not all, either," Kira hurriedly interjected, remembering the message he had received on the way here, "Natarle has pledged what troops will follow her and Halberton to our aid as well."

"We don't even know what kind of forces are on the moon," Athrun pointed out, a pensive frown darkening his face, and his hands lifting to support his chin, "This could turn into a whole new war."

"And what about the PLANTs?" Caggallie asked, one of the most difficult questions, and one of those Kira was sure nobody really knew how to answer, "What do you think is happening up there now?"

"The First Colony wasn't hit," Athrun responded slowly, still not having moved from his position, "Councilor Canaver and Yuri Amalfi are still up there, I'm sure they'll be doing everything they can to keep the situation under control."

"But how long will that last?" Yzak's retort was short, but not because of what Athrun had said. No, it was because Yzak knew as well as the rest of them that the reality they were facing was getting darker by the moment. "The PLANTs were already a mess, they'll be in a complete panic now, and most of the forces are deployed on the Earth. How are they going to control the crowds?"

"They won't be able to," Shiho muttered, her voice subdued, "It will be a riot. People will die simply because they panic, they won't even have to fire that cannon again."

"There must be something we can do that will prevent that!" Dearka argued inanely, "There has to be..."

He trailed off, unable, as they all were, to find a way to prevent what was clearly inevitable. They had all been outsmarted by a madman, and the consequences of that were proving to be horrific. The evidence it was so was displayed on the faces of all those present, in the open sorrow on Shiho's face, the dark scowl on Yzak's, the frown on Dearka's, Caggallie's haunted look, the Chairman's suspiciously blank face, Athrun's own pensive frown, and Kira did not doubt his own face looked little different. The only one who they might have assumed unaffected was Rey, yet even that blond pilot's hands were clenched where they rested at his sides. Nobody was unaffected by this, and yet none of them had an answer, or so it seemed.

"There is," Athrun stated at last, lifting his eyes from his lap to encompass all those in the room, verdant gaze fixed and determined, "We can tell them the truth."

"Are you crazy?" Yzak was startled to the point he visibly straightened, unfolding his arms as he stared at his seated comrade, "If they know what's going on they'll be even more likely to panic!"

"You think so?" Athrun met the challenge head on, his expression deadly calm, "Try considering it from their point of view. They've just been fired upon, six PLANTs have been destroyed, thousands of people killed, and they have no way of knowing if they'll be fired on again, or if anybody is doing anything about it. You have to remember that the PLANTs council is all but gone, they need reassurance, they need someone to tell them _something_ is being done. I can't speak for all of them, certainly, but if _I_ was on the PLANTs I would certainly feel a lot better if I knew what was going on, rather than just waiting to be blown away. Lacus made a broadcast when ZAFT first took possession of the Earth, if we can make a similar move now we can also contact the ZAFT and EA forces on Earth. It will mean the enemy knows we're coming, but I think they probably know that already. If Natarle, Lacus, Caggallie, and my father all take part in the broadcast, we can at least do something to sway the panic, and possibly get the citizens of the PLANTs to listen to those working to set things right there."

"It's worth a try," Caggallie agreed almost instantly, "We're going to need all the help we can get if we're going to take these guys down."

"But there is a chance we could also acquire allies for our enemy," Rey pointed out soberly, "This plan could backfire."

"Well," Dearka spoke slowly, drawing the word out, before proceeding swiftly, "Truth be told I don't know how much of a chance we'll have unless we can get some allies, and unless we go down to Earth in person, nobodies going to believe a written message, are they? The emergency channel is our best chance of getting through, I'm all for it."

"I'm going to have to agree with that," Yzak spoke somewhat reluctantly, "We can't do this alone, but we can't exactly wait for backup, either."

"So we charge straight in there and hope that someone comes to help us?" Kira could not keep the slight traces of incredulity out of his voice and expression, but when the only response to his comment was a quick nod, he merely sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "We don't really have a choice, do we?"

* * *

"Another cannon?" Shin stared at Luna in horror, both of them level now that he was able to sit up, at least, though she was able to move about more freely, "And they fired on the PLANTs?"

"Yeah," Luna had her gaze fastened on her lap, her uninjured hand clenched there in a tight ball, and the strained expression on her face a clear visual giveaway of her inner turmoil, "I can't believe that after everything we did it didn't even make a difference! What did Heine and the others die for if this was going to happen?"

"I don't know," and he really didn't. What was the _point_? It didn't matter what they did, it didn't matter that GENESIS had been destroyed, or the Colony, it hadn't changed a thing. There were still people out there who were quite happy to destroy millions of lives without a second's thought, and he could feel a familiar burning rage forming in the pit of his stomach, "I really don't know how people can stand to do such things. They're monsters!"

"But, what are we going to do now?" Luna was twitching now, anxious and restless, "We are in no fit state to fight them. The Impulse and my machine are both completely destroyed, we only have the Saviour, the Justice, the Joule Team machines, and Lieutenant La Flaga's machine."

"The Commander came here?"

"We were closer than Boaz," Luna pointed out practically, "And Rey's machine took damage. I don't even know if we can fix it before..."

"Before what?" Shin pressed, wondering why she had trailed off.

"I don't know," Luna shrugged, turning back to him helplessly, "But I'm guessing the Archangel at least will be launching against them, and the Commander always has the Voltaire to fall back on, the battle cruiser stationed at Boaz. Now that Rau is gone I guess it's Commander Joule's."

"So it's starting all over again," Shin sighed, dragging his only functioning limb down his face, "And this time I'm stuck here doing nothing!"

"If we lose this time, it's all over," Luna responded meekly, her tone overly subdued, "This new cannon is in the hands of the Earth Forces. They're intending to wipe out the PLANTs completely, and if that happens, the ZAFT forces on Earth are likely to be their next target. There won't be anywhere left to run."

"There wasn't before," Shin reminded her blandly, closing his eyes as he leant back against the pillows, "I just hope they can stop that thing before it has another chance to fire. Otherwise, this _will_ be all over."

* * *

"I heard the others made it back safely," Murrue addressed Kira the moment he walked onto the bridge, somewhat surprised to see him there, rather than back on the Eternal, but not hesitating to ask after the young woman in charge of the latter vessel, "How's Miss Lacus?"

"She's understandably upset," Kira paused a moment, frowning, before at last giving a long sigh, "Miss Aisha is looking after her for the moment, but we can't wait much longer. I came here to get Natarle, we're going to make a move."

"Ha! I knew it," Mu gave her a triumphant grin, before turning to the brunette, "So, what's the plan, kid?"

"We're going to try and prevent the outbreak of panic in the PLANTS, and get as many allies as we can from the Earth Forces and ZAFT by doing another broadcast," Kira explained, "We're going to let the citizens know what is going on, and let the forces know we'll be assaulting the moon."

"A daring plan," Murrue nodded slowly, "But it has it's risks."

"We know that," Kira did not hesitate to respond, and Murrue could not help but marvel at how much he had changed from back in Heliopolis. There was a resolve there now that went beyond protecting his friends, that overcame that instinctive fear of taking a life, but she could not have named it. It was a type of purpose that was inspiring, and perhaps it was as simple as a desire to protect, only, this time, Kira had found the strength to _choose_ to fight, rather than being dragged into it without any choice in the matter. "But, if we don't take that risk we won't be able to win anyway. It's really a no option situation."

"And the Archangel is the only ship fit for flight at the moment," Mirriallia reminded them, emerging from the combat center with the other three members of that station, "The Eternal and the Kusanagi are still too damaged."

" There are some vessels at Boaz Commander Joule believes he can attain for us," Kira explained steadily, "He'll be leaving right about now with Captain Elsman and Lieutenant Hahnenfuss."

"I hope he brings someone back with him," Mu shrugged, "Otherwise this could be one hell of a short battle. When are you going to do this broadcast of yours?"

"As soon as I have Natarle," Kira cocked his head towards his friends, "We're going to make the broadcast from the Eternal at the same time as the Archangel makes it's departure. Caggallie isn't too pleased about being left behind, but it can't be helped. Athrun will transfer the Justice over to the Archangel, and then we'll make for a rendezvous point with the Joule Team, and proceed on to the moon from there. By the time we get there the broadcast should be complete, and that will give any forces within range of being able to come to our aid time to reach us as well, without giving that cannon too long to restore itself. Also, we've retrieved a new machine for you, Mu."

"A new machine?" Mu brightened visibly, "Where the heck did you get one of those, kid?"

"Lieutenant Hahnenfuss brought the Akatsuki back with her, rather her own vessel," Kira answered readily, "It may be of use in attacking the moon base."

"So what about the actual attack?" Tolle interjected, "We're going to need a plan for that, right?"

"We're working on getting a layout of the facility right now," Murrue could only shake her head at that, the efficiency of ZAFT was certainly coming into play here, and she knew now why they had been such a formidable enemy, "Once that's done we'll see what we can come up with. Though, we have a very limited amount of resources."

"Don't tell everyone that," Mu told him seriously, "You'll jinx us. Come on, we'll go find Miss Azrael, I think she's with the General right now. Captain, you want to pass the word along that we got to get ready to move?"

"Of course," Murrue was already moving before he had finished speaking, "We'll be ready to launch when you are, Kira, just give us the word."

"Will do." with a final wave Kira left the bridge accompanied by Mu, and the moment the door closed behind them she turned to the four teenagers expectantly waiting her commands.

"Transmit the news, Mirriallia," she nodded firmly, "We're going back into battle."

* * *

"Will you be all right with that wound?" He had been struggling to find something to say, anything, even the slightest snippet that would prompt a conversation between them, and yet up until now he had been unable to think of _anything_. It was only as Athrun made the final preparations to transfer the Justice over that he finally found his tongue, and even then the question he asked had to sound like doubt. Doubt of his son's abilities, his self assessment, or even just of Athrun himself, but he couldn't help the way it came out, it was the only thing he could think of at the present time.

"It's only a mild concussion," the response was offhand, casual, as though the nurse hadn't cautioned against extreme exertion, "I've had worse just from Academy."

And that statement was both truth and bluff, for it was a known fact that Athrun had been a near magnet for trouble during his days as a trainee, and mostly through no fault of his own. Troublemakers seemed to gravitate about him, and Patrick had long since lost count of the amount of times he had received messages informing him of his son's latest misstep. The injuries there had varied from a less than 'mild' concussion to a broken arm, in thanks mostly to the 'helpful' antics of his comrades, but the fact was the injury he had sustained now was hardly mild either, and he wondered, really and truly wondered, if Athrun knew he was lucky to be alive.

"That isn't what the nurse said."

"The nurse didn't see me in Academy," Athrun reminded him calmly, frowning as he finished fastening his coat. The uniform was an Orb one, a somewhat insignificant detail, but one that stood out to him as blatantly obvious, for reasons unknown. "Besides, it's not like there is much of a choice. We're short on pilots, and we're short on machines. The Justice has a chance of making a real difference in this fight, and I can't just leave it sitting in the hangar when I know that's the case. Also, this was my idea, I can't pull a stunt like that and expect others to fight the battle."

"It was a good idea," by the startled look that was sent his way upon that proclamation, he had made that statement far too little, if at all, and he hastened to add, "You were right about the citizens reactions, you're argument was logical, and you balanced the risks against the advantages. It was well conceived."

"All plans are well conceived until they fail, at least, most of them, or so Instructor Brody used to tell us," Athrun remarked, though there was a hint of uncertainty beneath that indifference. He was not sure how to react to the comments Patrick had just made, that much was clear, "We'll see how good it was when this is all over."

"It doesn't matter how it turns out," he had waited too long to say these words, had wasted too many precious years by allowing them to remain unsaid, he was not going to hold back now, "I'm still proud of you, Athrun, and everything you've done. It hasn't been an easy road, and I know I made it even more difficult, but you have done magnificently," reaching out he placed a hand on the stunned young man's shoulder, the physical action lending emphasis to his words, though he could not help but feel some measure of regret at the expression in the verdant gaze. The glow behind those eyes was an ethereal thing, barely visible beneath shades of so many other emotions, but to see that spark, and know all it had taken was a simple acknowledgement of Athrun's talents was a painful reminder of how he had failed to give the very little his son asked of him. It was all the boy had ever wanted, to be noticed, not praised, not even singled out, but just _noticed_, and, up until now, he had not even been able to grant him that, "I am _very_ proud of you, and no matter what happens out there, I always will be."


	36. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: A Leap of Faith**

"_The world goes as men make it go; and men are free to make it go otherwise, if they have the courage."-Proverb_

War.

It was a reality he had never been able to justify, a fact for which there was no explanation, a terror that swallowed lives one after another in quick succession, and yet gave nothing in return for that price. Death was an impartial judge, and it took guilty and innocent alike without a chance to plead one's case. The shadow that stalked all soldiers, lingering about them and their families, and now, even about those who had nothing at all to do with the fighting. War was death, really, simplified, with all the politics thrown away and the excess baggage stripped back to reveal the raw core. It was death. Pointless lives thrown away at the whim of 'greater' men who did not even go so far as to step out on the battlefield, atrocities committed for no reason. Ideals, ambition, greed, whatever excuse they used all of them were merchants of death, mass murderers, unforgivable traitors to their own people, people to whom lives meant nothing but a statistic on a report.

As a soldier, he understood better than most the true horror of war, the true face of kill or be killed, the reason why he could understand his mother's wish to stop it. What he could not understand, on the other hand, was the means she had instigated to do that. Genetic modification of human beings in order to eliminate conflict, to remove it's possibility from the world. It was a lofty goal, and perhaps it was natural that the payment exacted for that goal should be high, but Athrun still couldn't bring himself to accept that what Gilbert had done was what his mother would have wanted.

Lenore had always been a gentle, kind, loving individual, and every one who had ever known her had respected her for those qualities, and for how she employed them in actively seeking peace between the PLANTs and the Earth. So how? How had something _she_ had conceived turned into the very thing responsible for all _this_? Had it merely been the way her words, her goals were interpreted, or had she really been prepared to alter human beings themselves to achieve that utopia? And, more importantly, if it was the latter, did that mean she was the one, the person to be held to account for creating this dark road to begin with?

Rau Le Creuset had blamed Lenore Zala for his fate, had blamed her research, her desires for what he had become, for what his father had turned him into, and Athrun did not have sufficient evidence to disprove that theory. It could have been his mother's doing, it _could_ have, and if that were the case, then he was undoing all that right now. But that path, the one that diverged from where he himself was walking now, was something he could not bring himself to accept. He had been unable to pull the trigger, that was a certainty, but that didn't mean he had _wanted_ that world. It sounded perfect, and it very well could be, but he doubted it was possible to live, and be _happy_, in a world that was perfect. That didn't mean there had to be war, it just meant the world was flawed, the way it was _meant_ to be, and he believed it was better that way.

He had seen himself how unachievable a goal perfection was, why drag the world through the same trials?

What he was doing now, it went against his mother's wishes, if they had indeed ever been her wishes, against the peace she had fought, and ultimately, died for. It went against his own desire to preserve her legacy, to hold on to whatever piece of her he could find in the current world. It required him to let go of his stronghold, to release the fictitious security that had not existed for over ten years, and step out into the world to fight for what _he_ wanted, not for what his mother had wanted, or even what his father might want now. To stand, stand and protect that which was the future he saw himself living in, with the people he wanted to live _with_, and the only thing holding him back now was himself, because, once he had taken that almighty step, there was no going back to the dream.

To try and grasp hold of the future was like trying to hold water in one's hands, it always seemed to slip away, leaving only trickles of what was to come in your hand, leading to uncertainty, hesitation, and, in his case, ultimately the decision to not take that step at all. He had lingered in the past for too long, because that was where he felt safest, but now it was no more sheltered than the future. The past held a nightmare of secrets he could never hope to unravel, a myriad of mistakes that had cost his comrades and friends, and decisions which had led him somewhere he had never wanted to be. And yet, it was that same past that had led him to his current position, where he teetered between going forward and going back.

The future held hope, in Kira, Caggallie, Lacus, all his comrades, and now even his father, the family he had wished for so earnestly finally taking more than a ghost' form, it was all there for him if he wanted it, within arm's reach, so easy to touch, but it came with dangers attached. This future was tremulous, there was a chance his very attempt to protect it could end up failing, and he would find himself with nothing again, but, somehow, that prospect was not as daunting as he once might have expected. Perhaps it was because he had already committed himself, because he had let himself be enthralled by what was offered, but he liked to believe there was another reason, the reason that had eluded his grip for too long, and the one reason that could finally bring him peace.

The reason that sent him forward, to make that leap of faith, and to finally, after far too many years of waiting for the return of something that could not be, take a grip on everything that represented that past, and just _letting go_.

* * *

"Get a move on with that resupply or it won't make a difference whether we go or not. As soon as the Voltaire and the Vesalius are ready for launch we'll join the Boaz forces already in circulation and take command before proceeding to Lagrange 1."

Yzak pulled himself up short using the captain's seat of the Voltaire, the vessel that had replaced the Vesalius as Le Creuset's personal war cruiser, the latter ship becoming obsolete following the assigning of the Silver Wind to the Joule Team. Now it was once again being sent into battle, along with it's successor, and the seven warships that made up the fleet of Boaz. It wasn't anything extravagant, but it was better than nothing, and Yzak was not one to knock what he had. It was good enough that the captains of the vessels had agreed to follow his lead, he would leave it at that for now, and hope that the broadcast the others were going to give would supply the rest of what they needed.

"You haven't lost an iota of your charm, Commander, that's for sure," Shiho gave a slight snort as she came to a halt on the opposite side of the chair, casting him only a brief glance, before dropping lower to address the vessel's captain, "How long will it be, Arthur?"

"Ten more minutes or so," Yzak did not know if he cared for the somewhat nervous man Rau had placed in charge of this vessel, formerly assigned beneath Talia Gladys, but possessing none of that woman's good sense and determination. Arthur was clearly the sort of person Rau had easily been able to use, though in a way that was to Yzak's advantage, for _he_ could handle him just as easily. "We'll be away shortly, Commander, no worries there."

"We'd better be," Yzak gave a curt nod, before turning to Dearka, who was still hovering in the doorway, "The mobile suits?"

"We're all go," Dearka offered his customary two fingered salute, "And the broadcast is due to begin in about ten minutes."

"We'll be gone by then," Shiho informed him, spinning about in midair as well, "According to all the stats from GENESIS that cannon has just over an hour left to charge before it can fire again, we have to get in there, blow that thing up, and get back out again before that time limit is up, and, on top of that, they _know_ we're coming."

"It's going to be tough," the blond pilot agreed, giving a slow nod, "Do you really think this is going to work, Yzak? I mean, this is even more insane than GENESIS was!"

"That's for sure," Shiho agreed before Yzak could open his mouth to respond, "And GENESIS was near murder. You know, when this is all over we're going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do."

"That's what the politicians are for," Yzak told her shortly, "Our job is to stop that monster, the talk is up to them."

"There aren't very many of them left, though, are there?" Dearka pointed out, a dark frown marring his expression, and Yzak could not blame him for that. Both of them had a parent who was likely in hiding or dead right now, and there were numerous others on the PLANT council who were far from popular at the moment. The only assurances anyone had was being a member of the Clyne Faction, and the main reason for that was that they had protection, not that they were any more popular. At the moment, the entire Supreme Council was considered enemy number two, second only to the cannon that had destroyed so many lives.

"I really don't believe that is our concern for the moment," Rey interjected mildly, standing unobtrusively just inside the door, to Dearka's right hand, "We can worry about the situation in the PLANTs once we are certain the PLANTs are actually going to be there when we get back."

* * *

"Athrun, there you are!" Kira was not really surprised to find his friend in the observation deck, though the view from space was certainly different to that presented on Earth, it still provided that peaceful solitude that his fellow pilot so often seemed to seek. Nevertheless, he could not help but be slightly annoyed by the fact Athrun was _not_ following the advice of the medical staff to rest as much as possible, though he was certain Caggallie had already given him a stern lecture on that count prior to his departure. "Natarle just sent us the blueprints of the base," he handed the data pad to his friend, "It's all the information she could get on it. Security is pretty tight."

"It will be enough," Athrun nodded absently, the slight grimace on his face suggesting he might have regretted that motion, raising the pad up to study the pictures the Earth Forces' officer had provided, "It's not like we aren't used to working with the bare minimum."

"I'd almost say we're experts on that count," Kira agreed fervently, turning to stare out into the expansive reaches of the world beyond Earth without really seeing it, "Was she terribly mad at you?"

"Who?" Athrun glanced up, apparently confused, though comprehension sunk in quickly enough, "Caggallie? No, I wouldn't say she was mad, no more than usual, anyway. Apparently, I have just as much talent at destroying myself as I do my mobile suits."

"Well," Kira began lightly, hiding a grin at the thought of Caggallie stating those words in exasperation, especially seeing as he had received a similar talking to before his departure. Caggallie had not been happy about being left behind whilst her brother went into battle, and she had been even less happy about Athrun going to fight with his injury, and, being a woman who spoke what she thought, she had had a great deal of exasperation to expel on them both. "You do have a tendency for ending up in bandages you know."

"You say it like I do it on purpose." was the disgruntled murmur of response.

"I still never really got to thank you for what you did back in Heliopolis, and after that, coming to the PLANTs to rescue me," Kira took the opportunity he was given, knowing that, like before, there was a chance there would be no time to finish this conversation later, though, this time, at least they had a short wait beforehand. Knowing how his friend was likely to respond, on the other hand, he made sure to add a touch of humor at the end, "Between the two of us, I'm not sure how Caggallie copes."

"I'm not sure she knows either," Athrun admitted, Kira inwardly triumphing at having prevented what would have been the inevitable reply to his expressed gratitude, "I certainly don't. How was Lacus before you left?"

"I don't know, I didn't get a chance to talk with her."

"I see." Athrun watched him for a moment, before shrugging and turning to study the plans he had been given.

In truth, Kira was slightly regretful of that fact, that he had left without saying goodbye to Lacus, but, really, there hadn't been much of a choice, their departure had been so rushed. And, on top of that, he had a feeling Lacus was fairly upset by the way she had acted, which he didn't see a problem with at all, but by not fussing over her he could at least let her make up for whatever crime she had decided she had committed by not being infallible. Truly, he could not understand why the fact she had been upset should upset her, but he respected the fact that it had, and he also respected the fact she would want to fix it on her own. In a way, Lacus had been the founding pillar of their strength, and he would trust her to know the right thing to do now.

So, drawing his attention away from the songstress he focussed instead on the small data pad in Athrun's hands. He really couldn't make all that much sense of the blueprints Natarle had seized for them, but he knew how important they were, so he at least made a pretense of studying them, though, apparently, his acting was not quite up to scratch.

"You don't understand a bit of this, do you?" Athrun's tone was lightly amused as he waved the hand held console slightly for emphasis.

"Nope," figuring he was caught now Kira settled back against the thick glass of the observation deck, mentally calculating how long it would take them to get to the rendezvous point. Thankfully, they knew that the Requiem had to have a charging time similar to that the GENESIS had had, so they knew almost exactly when it should be able to fire, as well as the comforting addition that it could not do so before they had at least attempted to make a difference. But, despite that, they were still pressed for time, and unless they could figure out some sort of plan for when they got there, arriving wasn't going to make that much of a difference at all. "What are we looking for, anyway?"

"A weak point," Athrun was holding the screen in both hands now, frowning at it pensively, "There is always something."

"But won't they expect that?" Kira found himself scowling as well, leaning his elbows on the railing and cupping his chin in his hands.

"Probably, but that's..."

"That's?" Kira prodded, straightening as he cast his friend a curious glance, but Athrun did not respond at once, stiff in midair, one hand darting back and forth across the touch screen, "Athrun? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," his friend looked up, eyes glittering slightly with what might have been suppressed excitement, "But I think I might have just found our key to winning this fight."

* * *

Lacus had never been so seriously angry, and _disappointed_, with herself before, or anyone, for that matter, and she had spent a whole minute just glaring at her pale reflection in the mirror, _reminding_ herself that she was a Clyne, and to fall apart at a time such as this was _inexcusable_. To have let her emotions take such complete control when she was so needed was unforgivable, she was the one who was supposed to be comforting others right now, standing strong and steering them where they needed, and yet.. she allowed her thoughts to trail off, wrapping her arms about herself in an attempt to try and mimic the warmth she had felt elsewhere. It had been such a relief to simply cry her heart out in Kira's arms without fear of destroying her image or letting those about her down, to have someone who asked for nothing from her, and instead only offered. There were no words to describe how it had felt when he had lifted that burden from her shoulders, if only for a moment, and even though it had been in order to allow herself to grieve, somehow, she had been happy at the same time.

But that was no excuse for the way she had acted when the cannon fired, and right at the moment the glower she gave her own reflection was enough that the person who opened the door behind her did a rapid double take, before speaking hesitantly. "Uh, Lacus?"

"Caggallie," shaking herself out of her self upbraiding she turned to face the blond woman, trying to keep her face blank, though it was unlikely that Caggallie would believe that expression after what she had just seen, "Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly," Kira's twin hesitated a moment longer, as if pondering whether to pursue the subject or not, before eventually deciding to let it lie, "The Archangel has already left to lead an assault against the Requiem, uh, that's the name of the cannon. We can't go, as the Eternal is still too damaged, but we are still going to play an important part in the campaign. They want us, meaning you, me, Patrick Zala, and Natarle, to give a broadcast informing the world of what is going on and asking for aid from whoever can reach us in time, just like you did before."

"A broadcast?" Lacus chewed her lower lip pensively, disappointed that she had not been present, or even _awake_ when all this was decided. And Kira...He was gone already, she hadn't even had a chance to have him reaffirm his promise. "I see. We are desperate then?"

"Pretty much," the words left Caggallie's lips as a sigh, and she shrugged helplessly as she continued, "Quite honestly, we're at our rope's end, I just hope that this broadcast works, because if it doesn't, we've lost already."

"We can only try."

Lacus sighed as she turned back to the mirror, pulling her hair back out of her face and beginning to refasten it in a ponytail. If she was going to make a broadcast, then she wasn't going to do so looking as though she had just been run over by an army of mobile suits. She was Lacus Clyne. The enigma, the ideal, and most importantly, the figure of _hope_. She couldn't allow herself to lose sight of what it was she was to the world, she could not let herself lose her grip on that one quality, that ability to remain hopeful of a future even when all anyone else saw was darkness. She was the handmaiden of justice, of freedom, of the principles that were being crushed in this oppressive world, the lone battle maid crusading when all others failed. It was to her similar spirits were drawn, because she had always been that beacon, and now that power was once more being called upon by a world in tears.

She _was_ Lacus Clyne, the songstress of ZAFT, and those who did not beware were fools.


	37. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: The Promise That Can't Be Made**

"This is so laughable it isn't even funny."

Sutherland gave a snort as he muted the audio on the broadcast, speaking more to himself than the others present on the station. That those four world leaders should have the gumption to announce their attack before they made it was utterly ridiculous, particularly seeing as they had already seen what strength the Earth Forces, or, more correctly, Blue Cosmos possessed. They were insane, utterly insane, but he would enjoy seeing their fruitless struggles before their hopes were dashed in the final blast from the Requiem, which would destroy what remained of the PLANTs. In actual fact, that was what the first shot had been meant to do, wipe them out completely, but there had been an issue with the mirror adjustment. That had been taken care of now, and this time, there was no doubt the Requiem would strike it's target.

"Desperation," the man beside him, dressed in his customary white coat, replied in an offhand manner, "One of humanities more interesting aspects, to see how far they will truly go."

"You scientist types find fascination in the strangest of places," he snorted, not really caring either way if he had insulted the man. He did not particularly care for scientists at all, those who had created the Coordinators in the first place, but this man, at the very least, had upheld the side of the bargain Durandal had promised them. Once the PLANTs were destroyed, they could use what he had created for them to take care of the Coordinators on Earth, and they wouldn't even have to fight to do it. It would be a bloodless victory, and one that would be all the more complete because of it. The damned monsters wouldn't even have a chance to use their gifts to fight back. "How long until the Requiem can fire again?"

"Just about an hour, sir," the controller answered him instantly, knowing better than to keep his commander waiting, "There are reports from the outlying forces of a ZAFT fleet moving our way from a point not too far distant from Lagrange 1."

"So they really are foolish enough to attack after announcing their movements," sighing, he shook his head, "This will be far too easy. Tell the teams to launch immediately, we'll ambush them before they even reach the moon."

"A bold venture," his companion stated coolly, "But are you certain it will work? These people have already proven their resourcefulness."

"Maybe," he shrugged, unconcerned. These people might have destroyed the Colony, and GENESIS too, but both those eventualities had already been factored into the plan. They would not take Requiem, of that, he was absolutely certain, "But we are more so. The fools are flying to their deaths."

* * *

"Here's the mission plan," Yzak scowled slightly as he accepted the data disk from his former captain, holding it up to examine it, whilst at the same time he listened to the rest of what Athrun had to say, "I know it's not much, but we didn't have a lot to work with."

"Now, wait a minute," Dearka interjected, unknowingly voicing much the same thoughts as had been going through Yzak's mind, "You're giving the mission plan to _us_? What are you guys going to be doing?"

"Keeping the enemy at bay, and using the broadcast to our advantage," it was Yamato who explained, even if he still looked slightly uncomfortable in their presence. Yzak could not blame him for that, not entirely, but that didn't mean he had to like the other pilot either. Nevertheless, now was not the time to discuss whether he liked or disliked his allies, so he listened attentively as the brunette finished, "The enemy knows we're coming, and when and where we're coming from, so they'll be expecting us."

"They also know the Archangel will be with the fleet," Athrun picked up where his friend had left off, "We can't risk breaking off to take care of the operation, otherwise they'll know something is up. On the other hand, they won't note the absence of the Voltaire, which means the completion of this task is up to you guys. We're going to be the front, just like the Minerva and the Kusanagi were for Shin's mission, it's up to you to take care of the real operation."

"And you're sure this will work?" Shiho had taken the data disk at Yzak's bidding, frowning down at it for a brief moment, before handing it on to Dearka and Rey, "Are these prints correct?"

"So far as I know," Athrun only gave a curt nod, "I can't be certain it will be unguarded, or if it's even exactly as it is portrayed, but it is really our only chance."

"And so making that broadcast unintentionally aided us along," Yzak had to admit he was impressed, even if it was only coincidental, Athrun had still managed to scratch together a feasible set of tactics within a very short space of time and with little enough resources to work with. Then again, there was a reason he had graduated at the top of the Academy, the very same reason he had been, and still was, in a way, Yzak's main rival. Zala may be an idiot, but he was a smart idiot, and in times like these, that counted for a lot. "How long have we got?"

"Half an hour once we've arrived," Athrun responded efficiently, "Really, I don't know what will happen once you're inside, it will be up to you to figure out how you're going to get in there."

"We'll just improvise," Dearka stated cheerfully, not at all affected by the seriousness of the situation, "Isn't it what we've always done?"

"Extemporization?" Shiho shrugged slightly, "Yep, that sounds like you, Dearka."

"In any case," Athrun had interrupted before Dearka could make a comeback, which saved Yzak the trouble of breaking up another inane argument, though Shiho normally got the last word in most cases. The respect she seemed to bear him, whether because he was a commander or not he did not know, apparently did not extend to Dearka as well, not that that was surprising. _Nobody_ respected a deliberate fool. "We'd best get back to the Archangel. Good luck, Yzak."

"Hey, Zala, wait a minute!" Athrun pulled himself to a stop halfway through the doorway, turning back in surprise to hear what Yzak had to say, "Don't get yourself killed out there," the Commander huffed slightly, "The Justice is worth a lot to ZAFT, and your buddy there already lost us the Freedom. If you blow that machine up, you're paying for it."

"You be careful too, Yzak." Athrun offered him a brief salute, before proceeding in Kira's footsteps. Yzak did not wait to see him go, however, turning and preparing to march back up to the bridge.

This time the ball was in his court again, and he knew exactly what he was going to do with it.

* * *

There was a time when Mu La Flaga, ace pilot of the Earth Alliance, Lieutenant aboard the new warship Archangel, and notorious maverick of his army, had believed in the cause his force was fighting for, in defending the Earth from ZAFT, in facing and killing an enemy on the battlefield. There was a time when he would have shot a Coordinator on sight the moment he saw a flicker of that red uniform, or even the insignia of the PLANTs, and he wouldn't have regretted it, because this was war, and he was a soldier. There was a time when he would have done all those things, but right now, it was the high command he felt like shooting, and he certainly had no intention of killing the two young pilots standing just across from him in the pilot locker room.

Kira Yamato, an innocent citizen pulled into a war because ZAFT had launched an attack on his country, fighting only to protect his friends, and yet fighting against a friend to do that. An amazingly talented Coordinator, yet not one to possess the workings of a soldier. Kira did not have the heart for that, all this killing, it had eaten away at him like acid, and even if they got out of this unscathed, Mu knew Kira was not one who could brush off all the lives he had taken, no matter how justified, with ease. The kid was just too soft, but there was determination there too,indecision gone for the moment, because he was no longer fighting against people close to him, and he had found something worth protecting. Kira was courageous because he had to be, not because he had the ability to step out onto the battlefield without fear, but because he could overcome that fear.

And then there was the other one, Athrun Zala, the son of a man Mu barely knew what to think of, and a young man who had seen far too much far too quickly. He was far too young for this as well, nothing but a child soldier, but the differences between him and Kira were that Athrun had made the decision to fight consciously, he had trained for it, and so when he shattered, he did so quietly. The exterior emanated an air of quiet strength, a necessary lean on for those who sought support, whilst inside Athrun agonized over each life taken just as much as Kira did. He did not know if that made him the stronger of the two, but he had to admire the selflessness of the ZAFT pilot.

In actual fact, he had to admire both of them, Coordinators or not, and whatever prejudices he might have possessed before could hardly apply to these two. Had he met them off the battlefield, without knowing what they were, and merely gotten to know them in the ordinary way, he was sure he would have still developed a camaraderie with them both, because he had finally managed to see past what it was most other people saw. Past the abilities, and to the fact these people were human too.

Which was why he would sooner turn on those he had once bowed to, then let them destroy others like the pair before him. He was a Natural, and maybe he would never be as skilled or as learned as Coordinators, maybe he would never get an upper edge on them, but did any of that really matter? After all, it was hardly a person's skills that defined them, but what they _did_ with those skills, and even if he had to admit to himself he might have been a little bit jealous, that didn't justify wiping their existence off the face of the planet.

"Hey, you two, we've got five minutes."

"We'll be right there."

Kira acknowledged his words with a quick wave that was cut off from his vision as the door to the elevator closed, leaving him alone with his thoughts. They were to be the bait once again in this fiasco, the ones most likely to die, but though he might be fighting against the cause he had once supported, Mu had made a vow, and he was going to stick to it.

There were too many special people on this ship to let it go down, and even if everything he had once been fighting for was decimated in this mad assault, it didn't matter to him, so long as the ship, it's crew, _and _it's captain remained intact.

* * *

"We'll, we've done what we can now," Caggallie watched as Lacus walked to the nearest seat on the near deserted bridge of the Eternal, pushing herself down on the padded surface and folding her hands in her lap, "All we can do from here on in is to pray for the success of the others."

"What do you think their chances are?" Meyrin asked timidly, having left her vigil at Nichol's side to organize the transmission for them. Her sister had been wounded in the battle as well, or so Caggallie had heard, and she had been reluctant to ask this of her, but Meyrin had been necessary in getting the message out, and she had not once voiced a complaint.

"It's impossible to say," Natarle told her, with more gentleness than her voice usually possessed, "We don't know how many people will answer the call, or even how many will be forming against them, either way, we'll know within forty minutes or so whether or not they were successful."

"The PLANTs can't take another attack of that magnitude," Patrick agreed soberly, a frown creasing his forehead, though it was more one of worry than the typical expression Caggallie had seen on his face. Truthfully, she did not know what had happened when she left Athrun and his father alone in the infirmary, but whatever words had been exchanged had changed them both for the better. There had been a glow in Athrun's eyes when she went to farewell him and Kira off, and she believed the concern just barely visible in his father's expression was not for the PLANTs alone. "If this excursion fails, there will be no second chance."

"We must have faith in our comrades," Lacus reaffirmed, "In their strength and their commitment to doing what must be done no matter the cost."

"Don't say that," Caggallie retorted sharply, earning a surprised look from the other young woman, though she did not let the rest of her thoughts go unsaid, "Though, I guess you at least waited until Athrun was gone. He has a habit of taking such lines as a literal command, you know."

"My apologies," Lacus offered her a faint smile in return, before turning to the red head still in the transmission dock, "You may return to the infirmary if you wish, Meyrin."

"Actually," the girl ducked her head shyly at being singled out, "I'd rather stay here until we know the outcome of this battle...I want to know how it ends _when_ it ends."

"I understand." Lacus offered her a slight nod, before lapsing back into a silence no one was prepared to break.

This was finally it, the last conclusion, the _true_ last conclusion, and this time, they weren't a part of the battle. That irked Caggallie in so many ways she could not have named them all, but there had been no vessel for her, and though she would have preferred Athrun did not sortie, she couldn't very well pilot the Justice on her own. But she was scared, so very very scared, that that brief farewell would be the last time she ever spoke with him. Unconsciously she shoved her hand in her pocket, seeking the reassurance of the chain, and the jagged edges that marked all that remained of what had once hung from the tiny, silver links.

"_It saved my life, Caggallie," gently, he pressed the shattered pendant into her hand, closing her fingers over it without once taking his eyes off her face, "Your gift. But, I can't promise you that I won't die out there."_

"_What are you saying?" she was ready, ready to give him her usual treatment should he speak a word that she considered foolishness, but his response took her by surprise, and she was left speechless._

"_There's never any guarantee a soldier is going to come home," he had yet to remove his hand from atop her own, and she did not mention that fact, for it was a strangely comforting gesture, "And this time, there is even less of a guarantee. I won't make a promise I can't keep, but I'd rather not leave you with nothing either. This," he tightened his grip about her clenched fist, "This connects us, no matter what happens afterwards."_

"_I'd rather have you." she blurted the words out without thinking,embarrassment at her forwardness sinking in shortly afterwards, though the gentle smile she received in return for the blunt words was almost recompense for her mortification._

"_I know, and I'll try to give you that. It's thrice you've saved me now, Caggallie, and I'm grateful to you for it. I'll try and make sure you efforts don't go to waste."_

"_Thrice?" she tried to ignore the second part of that statement, the part where he reminded her his own life was something he could not offer her, not quite yet, though there was still the unspoken admission that he _would_ offer it if he could. That admission was terrifying in a way, a level of commitment that was staggering and heartwarming at the same time, but he refused to make that commitment when it was a promise he could not keep, and she had to respect that._

_Athrun Zala did not break his word, if he was not certain he could keep a promise, he did not make it._

"_Thrice," he agreed solemnly,finally releasing her hand, though he did not float away from her, for she had a firm grasp on his sleeve, "When you gave me a reason to fight after I lost my way, when you gave me that pendant, and," he was as close to her now as he had been that evening in the Hawk Hotel, so close she could study the intricate patterns in his emerald green eyes, beautiful eyes that had always betrayed their outer shell with the expression held within them. Right now that expression was one of calm tranquility, a moment of contentment plucked from a myriad of chaos, a moment that just so happened to be with her. She waited with bated breath for the final proclamation, unable to tear herself away, and not exactly wanting to, for the moment she did he would be gone, perhaps never to return._

"_And?" she prompted at last, when he did not continue._

"_And," he pronounced the word levelly, "When you gave me a reason to survive."_

"Idiot." The sharp pain as the jagged edges tore into her hand went unnoticed, her low murmur accompanied by tears she did not allow to fall. She would not cry, because that would be accepting the fact he would not come back.

She would not accept that fact, Athrun Zala was going to survive, just like her brother, because if he didn't, he'd better hope she couldn't reach him.

* * *

"Bridge here," Miri's voice was strangely upbeat, and Athrun resisted an urge to shake his head in amusement wholly because he knew it would _hurt_. The painkillers had worn off some time before, but he couldn't risk taking more for fear of damaging his concentration, and that could be more lethal than the injury itself. The dizziness had passed some time ago, and so long as it did not return, he could handle the pain. "We have confirmation of the enemy sighting, as well as several vessels of the Earth Forces that claim to have responded to Miss Azrael's message. A total of twelve vessels in our fleet, then, eight from ZAFT, the Archangel, and three from the Earth Forces."

"Three, huh?" Mu gave a disgruntled snort, "That ain't a lot."

"There's still time for more to come," Murrue reminded him, "In any case, it's time. Mirriallia?"

"Roger. Saviour, Akatsuki, and Justice, stand by for launch. The operation will begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Do or Die?**

"_War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left."-Bertrand Russell_

"The Justice will stay back and protect the Archangel from enemy mobile suits," Murrue took charge the moment the three vessels had launched, acting both of her own will, and in what she believed was the best interests of those pilots she was responsible for. It was their lives that would be on the line first, so she must do what she thought best, even if it meant picking and choosing between who might have a chance to survive, and who might not. Kira and Mu were the most suitable for leading the assault at the moment, and had they more resources, she would not have let Athrun sortie at all, but she knew they were scraping the barrel bottom right now, that there was no choice, on the other hand, that didn't mean she couldn't try and keep all three of them safe anyway. "Saviour and the Akatsuki are to form up and take command of the mobile suits provided by the Earth Forces. We'll leave the ZAFT forces to themselves. The enemy fleet is large, but it's not a full sized squadron," she supposed that was one thing she could be thankful for, "All we have to do is keep them busy until the others can complete their operation. Don't take any unnecessary risks, we aren't fighting to win this battle, just to prolong it."

"Hey, you didn't need to take the challenge out of it!" Mu complained, already moving to obey her command, "Just how many mobile suits do our allies have, anyway?"

"Between thirty to forty, but none of them are terribly advanced," Mirriallia responded smoothly, "They're nothing like the ones we encountered at the Colony."

"Let's just hope they don't have more of them then, shall we?" Mu offered them a quick salute, before shutting down the video connection, Murrue turning her attention back to more important matters the moment he was gone.

"Arnold, move the Archangel to the front of the fleet. Tolle, Sai, prepare all weapons for immediate discharge. Mirriallia, send word to the ZAFT vessels to form up behind us, and the Earth Forces behind them. Spread out as much as we are able to across the battlefield, right now our strongest advantage will be in trying to divide the enemy troops," she did not mention that there was a risk the enemy could just pick them off one by one, but, in either situation, it was likely to slow them down. Reaching for the keypad on her chair she quickly dialed the hangar, waiting until the head mechanic's gruff features appeared before proceeding, "Murdoch, do we have an ETA on the completion of that auxiliary weapon?"

"I can't really say," the mechanic rubbed the back of his head, glancing over his shoulder as he spoke, "You have to realize we're trying to amalgamate technology from two different ships here, there is a chance it won't work at all."

"_Make_ it work," she didn't have time to play nice, not now, "Mirriallia, I want you to take command of the communications to the Saviour and the Akatsuki the moment you are done with you're current task, Flay, make sure the Justice stays near the Archangel until we are ready to deploy the auxiliary weapon. Natarle, I'll leave you in charge of the rest."

Turning back to the fore view after the completion of the round of 'rogers', Murrue frowned, watching as the first explosions caused by Kira and Mu's assault began to shatter the stillness. It was a matter of waiting now, waiting until the enemy stopped it's feint and deployed it's full strength.

"Ma'am! We are detecting a large heat source approaching from straight ahead, three of them...They're like the machines the Impulse encountered within the Colony!"

"All right, then," she gave a curt nod, too well trained to turn to acknowledge that piece of information, "Arnold, that's our queue, let's move out!"

* * *

"_Three _of them?" Kira pulled the Saviour up short, transforming it back into it's mobile suit mode as he waited for those machines following him to catch up. Saviour was too fast for most of the Earth Force's vessels, including even his allies, which posed both an advantage and a disadvantage.

"So, we were right in thinking they were holding back," Mu responded, "They're not our concern, Kira, it's up to the fleet to fend them off."

"But, _three_ of them?"

"They're not highly maneuverable, and it's more likely the ship will be able to pierce their outer armor anyway. We have a _job_ to do, Kira, let the Archangel and the Justice do theirs."

Kira bit back his argument to that, for he knew it was true, even if there was still that small, naïve part of him that wanted to turn around right now and follow after the suits that had just slipped in between their two pyramid columns. His friends were on that ship, but this time, it wasn't his job to protect them, and he had to trust that Athrun could fulfill that role. _His_ job was to help Mu stop any of the more maneuverable mobile suits from getting close, and judging by the objects now appearing on his monitor, that was not going to be an easy task.

"Six of them, no, eight! Oh, boy, this is going to be a toughy."

"We can't let even one of them get past," Kira responded, already retransforming the Saviour to move forward. It was an incredibly agile craft now he had learnt the finer points of piloting it, but that didn't make it invincible. "We have to keep them here!"

"I hear you, kid, but it ain't going to be all that easy."

Kira did not reply at once, swerving to avoid the first blast of fire from one of the eight, shooting in between two of his opponents as he brought the beam saber into play, blocking both those same vessels' strikes, then giving a cry of alarm as he was slammed from behind. These machines were definitely the same models they had encountered in the last battle, and if that were the case, the mobile teams supporting him wouldn't stand a chance. Transforming the Saviour yet again he dodged out of the trap being set about him, aware now that these mobile suits appeared to have no intention of going after the fleet.

"They're setting a..trap for us?"

"What's that, kid?" Mu's voice was strained, obviously the enemy were proving just as persistent on _his_ side of the battlefield, "What's wrong? Kira?"

"They're not trying to get past us, Mu!"

He was sure that meant something, and even as he parried frantically to counter every blow that came his way he tried to figure out what that was. Had the enemy figured out the true plan? Had they stationed troops at the other entrance? The entrance through which Yzak and the others would be trying to make their move this very moment? He dodged a laser blast, spinning out of sheer desperation in an attempt to fling his pursuers off, unable to do anything but watch as one by one those supporting him were cut down. These were people he didn't know, yet they were people who had _helped_ them, and each time those shots pierced through those cockpits, his desperation grew. This enemy must know that if they took out the carriers the battle would be won, so why were they not trying to get past? Why were they concentrating on the mobile suits only?

"Dammit!" the curse left his lips unbidden as he was thrown against the restraining bands across his shoulders yet again, spinning to avoid the volley of fire that followed, before flipping his vessel upside down completely to fire off a round of his own, "What are they trying to do?

"They probably think the big ones can handle the fleet alone," Mu was trying to be reassuring, but with the amount of tension in his voice, and the curses he clearly believed were under his breath, that was a difficult role to assume, "Just concentrate on our battle, kid, you can't get distracted and...Argh, dammit!"

"Mu!" Even across the distance of the battlefield, Kira could see the Akatsuki being bombarded by laser fire, completely smothered in a shroud of explosions, not that there was much of anything he could do to stop that, on the other hand, for he was little better off. The only thing that was stopping him from falling into a similar trap the Savior's maneuverability, and perhaps just sheer, dumb, luck.

"I'm okay, kid, this is one hell of a machine," Mu's response came as a surprise, as Kira had been almost certain he would not receive one at all, "Those guys from ZAFT had better make their move quick, we've only got twenty minutes left!"

"If this keeps up, we'll have even less."

Kira ground his teeth as one of his opponents succeeding in removing a piece he was fairly sure was not actually detachable from the Savior's right side. The statistics screen named it as a wing, and Kira breathed a sigh of relief that he was not in a gravity situation, where such a disadvantage would have affected his balance drastically. Gunning the machine's engines he shot out of yet another attempt to crowd him, swinging downwards this time, pulling back, waiting for _them_ to come after him, for it was now fairly obvious they had no intention of pursuing the fleet. That same move put him further on the outskirts of the battle, away from the main medley, and it was at that point the warning dials on his screen flashed, picking up on a movement that had formerly been unnoticeable due to all the interference.

"Mu, the Archangel!"

"What about it, kid? I'm a little..._busy_." the faint sounds of an explosion punctuated his final word, and Kira sincerely hoped that was one of the enemies, not a piece of the Akatsuki, though the other more blazingly present fact in his mind only allowed that to be a passing thought.

"There's another team moving around to position themselves behind them, it's an ambush!"

"Just like we expected, then," Mu retorted, Kira forced to divide his attention between the conversation and the opponents now reconverging on him, "I just hope Murdoch can pull off another mechanical miracle like he did with the Blitz and my old machine, otherwise, this battle isn't going to _last_ another twenty minutes."

* * *

Remaining back at the vessel whilst the others were on the frontline was not a tactical decision that had pleased Athrun exactly, even though he had understood both the reasoning and the need behind Murrue's decision. He would hardly be able to pick up the extra machinery for the Justice if he was nowhere near the Archangel, machinery that was pivotal to their simple goal to survive this battle, and even if he didn't like to admit it his injury wasn't likely to cooperate were he to charge right into the fray. Nevertheless, waiting at the rear was not a role he was going to adapt to anytime soon, not even when the three largest mobile suits on the battlefield all decided to converge on one vessel at once.

Frowning he took aim at the steadily approaching vessels, discharging several shots, which merely bounced off the outer hull. Apparently, Shin's surmise that only a beam saber would work was correct, but in order to use that to stop them before they came into firing range he would have to leave the Archangel. There wasn't a lot of options left to work with there.

"Captain Ramius!"

"I agree," she had known what he was about to say, before he had even uttered it, though it was nothing less than he had expected, "Move the Justice out of the Archangel's line of fire. We're going to be targeting those enemy suits and only those enemy suits. Blow them out of here!"

Obeying her first given order Athrun lifted the Justice back up into it's initial position above the Archangel, only to start as the red dial on his left hand side began to flash, simultaneously with Flay's shout.

"We have incoming from the port side, it's fast!"

Athrun barely had time for the vague thought that that was major understatement before the machine, whatever the hell it was, had actually rammed straight into him. The force of the impact sent the Justice flying far from it's position above the Archangel, it's trajectory only halted when it crashed against the side of the neighboring vessel with a jarring shudder that had his head spinning all over again. He didn't have time to wait for his vision to clear, however, for the enemy suit was already trying to press it's advantage, a factor that forced him to make the decision to swerve away from the ship which he had hit, letting it take the blast that he had not had time to block.

"Bastard! You'll pay for that!" Drawing his beam saber he launched forward, only to have the enemy skitter backwards, avoiding the blade but not retaliating in any way. It took him a moment to realize the only weapon the comparatively tiny vessel possessed was the gun it had fired, and even that appeared to have a limited amount of energy. "But, why would they...?"

His thoughts, uttered aloud, were cut off once again by a second impact, this time against the back of the Justice, so that he was tossed back towards the Archangel, this time just managing to raise his shield to block the blast that inevitably followed, though that action alone cost him any chance he might have had of fighting off the next assault. "This is crazy! They're using their machines as battering rams! But, why?"

There should have been no need for these sorts of tactics, Athrun realized as he finally managed to evade one of the near suicidal assaults, more through good luck than any of his skills as a pilot. There shouldn't have been any need. The enemy had more than enough firepower to overwhelm them in the normal way, so why were they using such unconventional means? It was as if they were using this entire battle as their own personal test for all their new creations, and... "Blue Cosmos." the realization hit him like a bucket of ice cold water, the mental reaction swiftly followed by a more physical one as the Justice was assailed yet again, "The bastards, they are! They're using us to test their new machines! They're playing with us!"

But, whilst that did anger him, whilst it repulsed him that anyone could be so callous, so purely evil, he had to take comfort in the knowledge this meant they didn't know of the true attack. If the Earth Forces felt confident enough in their position to toy with them, that certainly meant they were unaware of any other threat besides the opposition. Apparently, whoever was now in command of the organization possessed Rau's arsenal, but not his cunning. On the other hand, that small piece of gratifying information hardly did anything to prevent the pain of being slammed into repetitively, and at last despairing of any real chance of avoiding the blows through any tactics he had been taught Athrun merely dodged erratically, hoping his patterns would throw the enemy off.

And they would have to, because there were several ships and the vessels they carried converging on the fleet from behind, ready to discharge whatever weapons they separately possessed. "Dammit! Not yet! We aren't ready!"

"Actually," Murdoch's face on his screen was perhaps the most welcome sight of the day, though Athrun wasn't going to utter that thought to the man's face, "The Meteor is ready. We're launching it now, _you_ just make sure you dock with the thing."

"Roger that."

Pulling the Justice up sharply he dipped downwards, then abruptly changed his course to travel to the starboard side of the Archangel, creeping back up to the correct level just in time to intercept the Justice's auxiliary weapon. Docking it took only seconds, and it was but a moment longer to target the very many enemies the Meteor was able to attack at once. It wasn't long enough for the enemy to intercept him, or to even fire a shot, but it was plenty long enough for no one to stop him before he pulled the trigger.

* * *

"They actually fell for the feint?" Shiho's tone was incredulous, if hushed, "Really and truly?"

"That's a first," Dearka agreed, "Something working to our advantage."

"Don't start jinxing us now," the single female pilot warned him, "Commander, there's the entrance!"

"I see it," Yzak was in no mood to join in the pair's conversation for the moment, there was too much at stake here, too many lives hanging in the balance, and he could not allow himself to be distracted in the face of such a burden, "Be careful, there is still a chance they could detect us, and we have no idea what sort of defenses they might have."

"Understood, Commander...Are we all entering?" Rey, at the very least, knew how to keep his mind on the mission, a blessing in such a time as this.

"Only one of us actually needs to go inside," and it was better that way, in any case, given how little time they would have to get out, "I'll go."

"With all due respect, Commander," Shiho's rebuff was instant, "I have the smallest vessel, wouldn't it be better if...?"

"We have incoming!" Dearka's warning came just in time as the team split apart, barely avoiding the blast that would have removed at least two of them from the conversation.

"The hell?" Yzak pulled his machine up short, searching for the source of the blast, and letting out a short sigh of relief when he realized it had not emanated from some enemy vessel. This entrance was guarded by automatic weaponry, then, they hadn't been discovered.

"It only detected us when we made for the entrance," Rey had clearly come to the same conclusion, evaluating the situation swiftly and clearly, "And there only appears to be a single cannon."

"It can't shoot all of us at once, then," Yzak growled in determination, "All right, change of plans, we'll make this a free for all, whoever gets inside that thing is in charge of blowing it up. Move it!"

* * *

"Using the enemy to test your new weaponry?" The scientist raised an eyebrow at his employer, skepticism obviously apparent on his face, "With all due respect, sir, don't you think you might be a little overconfident?"

"Nonsense, they're being overwhelmed,and we aren't even using our full strength yet," in actual fact Sutherland found this entire situation to be wholly amusing. They hadn't even suffered any substantial losses yet, and the same could certainly not be said for the enemy. It would be a clean victory, first this force, and then the PLANTs, and the finally the Earth. There was no power that could stand in their way now, for they were the supreme power of this world, so why not use these soldiers who would soon be dead to test their latest creations? It certainly saved paying for them to be tested. "There is..."

"Sir! You might want to check this out!" Turning at the summons Sutherland walked over to the console indicated, unable to conceal a small start of surprise when he saw what was presented on the screen.

"An auxiliary unit that attaches directly to the mobile suit? How interesting. Well, they certainly are a resourceful bunch, but if they think that is going to turn the tide of this battle they are sorely mistaken. Have the ram teams concentrate their fire on the red mobile suit, I want it intact if it can be managed."

Turning away he walked back to his position of command, turning to his subordinate with a dramatically excessive sigh. "Well, Ian, we're almost ready to fire Requiem again. Better tell those forces to clean this up, we don't want them to get in the way of the blast, after all, they could set it off target."

He was expecting the typical response to that, the crisp 'y'sir' of a trained soldier, but instead all he got was a somewhat strangled interpretation of that word, following by a second shout from one of the consoles.

"Commander! The cannon on the rear side of the base just detected a heat source approaching!"

"What?" startled he spun about in anger, "From the rear side? How did you let the enemy get there? Dispatch the extra teams at once, what are you waiting for...?"

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, sir." The operator pointed, terror marking his face despite his calm tone, and Sutherland swung about to the window overlooking the hangar, only to find the substantial, hulking form of a mobile suit right outside.

Right outside, and about to fire.


	39. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: Fire and Blood.**

"_Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind"-John F Kennedy_

Battles were always concluded with silence, the complete and utter stillness when not a single being moved or made a sound, when not a single being _dared_ to move, for fear of discovering they were among those who would not move again, or of encountering others who would not move again. It was the brief moment in the vast vacuum of time when no one knew how to react, how to feel, and sometimes, how simply to live. When, for one short, blessed moment the human soul could not _feel_, could not react to the carnage it had created. _That_ was the reality that followed battle, which meant, then, that _this_ battle was not over.

The explosion of the Requiem was like the first reaction as one set the match to the flammable substance, unleashing a series of chain reactions that were so swift and violent it took Kira a good moment to realize what was happening. The Earth Forces weren't playing anymore, they were going for the kill, and _his_ side didn't have the means to stop them.

"Dammit! Kira, get out! Get out of there now!"

Mu was lending actions to his words as he fell back rapidly, preparing to withdraw to join the fleet, perhaps the only chance they had at surviving now this battle had clearly become so personal, but Kira could not follow his example. He was still trapped between the four suits, in a machine that was running critically low on power, and he _couldn't_ get out. It was all he could to defend himself now, and that was against the barrage of fire, there was very little he could do against the more physical assaults.

"Kira, did you hear me?"

"Yeah," gritting his teeth as he struggled to maintain his hold on the controls he forced that word to form some slight resemblance of calm, "I heard you. I'll be right there."

"Now, kid, don't..."

"Just go, Mu," if he kept his voice level, the older pilot _would not_ read the lie of his words. He had lost his entire support team already, and he doubted he himself was going to make it out alive, "Help Athrun defend the Archangel, I'll be with you as soon as I can."

He did not give Mu a chance to argue that statement, shutting down the communication line and focussing on the single goal of inflicting as much damage as possible before the favor was brutally returned.

* * *

Caggallie knew the reason she had come to the observation deck the moment they were certain the Requiem had been destroyed, the moment they were sure it would have been fired had it not been. She knew the reason, and, figuratively, also knew that the presence whose company she sought was not going to be here, but, somehow, that didn't stop her from being disappointed. It was one of Athrun's small quirks she had learnt before they even set out to rescue Kira, the way he would always seek the peaceful solitude of this place, whether to brood, grieve, or simply think, she could always be certain of finding him here when he was not to be found elsewhere, and she had lost count of the number of conversations they had performed in this setting, this, or a darkened hotel room that was aptly suited to the general mood at that time. It was a place that had become intricately wound up in all her memories of him, a place that _held_ so many memories of him, and she could only pray that that wasn't all she had now, the memories. There had been no word from the Archangel yet, no news of survivors or casualties, and no way of knowing if _any_ of their friends had survived. Caggallie knew there was a possibility they hadn't. She knew, she just didn't want to accept.

She stiffened abruptly as the door behind her opened, even more so when she caught sight of the reflection of the man who had just intruded on her solitude. Patrick Zala was a man she hardly knew what to think of, and often his expression was as unreadable as Athrun's, without even those expressive eyes to give him away. Right now his face was expectedly blank, and she was already running through a list of ways to excuse herself when he spoke.

"Am I intruding, Representative Attha?"

"No," she did not know why she had said that, saying 'yes' might have been rude, but it would have been within her capabilities, and somehow she did not think Patrick would have reacted with anger. His experiences, those that had opened his eyes, had left him a humbler man, and, for the moment, at least, he was trying to amend mistakes, not make more of them through hasty decisions. Caggallie sincerely hoped that streak lasted, for both his and Athrun's sake, so, she could tell herself that she was merely trying to keep it there, not provoke the other side of Patrick Zala, by being polite. Though, how true that was, even she didn't know. "I don't mind."

He watched her a moment longer, cautiously, almost, before walking across to join her, maintaining a healthy distance between them as he pursued the conversation further. "I shall understand if you do not particularly care for my company, Representative, I am well aware of the crimes I have committed against your country, and, therefore, against yourself, however, there are a few things I wish to discuss."

"Such as?" Her tone wasn't terse, at least, just mildly inquisitive. She was no longer angry at him for what had happened at Orb, not now she knew he had merely been being manipulated. His main fault was that he had let Rau control him with ease, steer ZAFT down the path _he_ wanted, but though he had given the orders, Caggallie believed a good many of them had been Rau's ideas, imprinted in the Chairman's mind without his knowledge, so subtle had that man's control been.

"Such as expressing my thanks to you personally."

"Thanks?" she was taken aback, and more than a little bewildered, "For what?"

"For keeping my son alive, when I could not." the damned man's face was still unreadable, set in a typical frown, and he was not even looking at her, so she had no way of guessing what he was thinking.

"Yes, well," she was flummoxed for a response, really, so she just went with what her heart told her, no matter it's tendency for leading to trouble. After all, it might been troublesome, but following her heart had been what brought her Athrun, and that was one piece of misfortune she would _not_ regret, if misfortune you could call it. "He was my brother's best friend, and I owed him one."

"Indeed," That couldn't be a trace of teasing in his voice, could it? Patrick Zala hardly seemed the type to tease, but before she had a chance to puzzle it out he had continued, "But that was not what I meant."

"It...wasn't?"

"No," he still wasn't looking at her, something that was mildly annoying, though she doubted she could have read his face any better if he had, "I was not speaking of the physical state, though you did save him there as well. What _I_ was referring to was the fact that you kept Athrun alive, his personality, the essence of who he was, when I was so determined to stamp it out."

"Oh..._Oh_." It made sense now, and she was reminded with perfect clarity of exactly how close Athrun _had_ come to being smothered by the soldier he strived to be. His attempts to be perfect, to react as he believed he should, and not based on his own emotions, had been self destructive to the extreme, and it had been a battle to make him let go of that false persona he was trying to construct, even after he had deserted from ZAFT. It was a facade he was so used to wearing, something that strangled the true person behind the mask, and she knew full well he had first put that mask on in his bid to win back his dying family. Apparently, Patrick Zala had eventually come to the same realization, though she had hardly expected to be thanked for it. "Um...you're welcome?"

The traces of an amused smile might have flashed across his face, it was difficult to see when studying a reflection, and it was gone quickly enough, disappearing into the silence that now ensued. Caggallie let it last a while, busy trying to sort out her own thoughts, before asking something she felt now needed to be addressed.

"What will happen to the PLANTs now?"

"I couldn't say for certain," he replied grimly, "But, I believe it may be necessary to explain the whole truth to the citizens in a manner similar to that done in regards to Requiem. They need to know what has transpired, and why. Unfortunately," his frown deepened, "That will mean the name 'Zala' is hardly popular within the PLANTs for some time to come, there will be consequences to be faced when I return."

"Is it really necessary to go back?" she knew he probably thought it was his duty, and truthfully it was, seeing as he still held the post of Chairman, but she could not help but realize that if Patrick went back the PLANTs and was forced to face some sort of punishment, which could very well end up being imprisonment, for his actions, then Athrun would lose what he had only just regained. She knew how precious his family was to him, and she was reluctant to see that torn away from him so soon.

"That is a difficult question to ask, for it depends on many things," the man gave the slightest of shrugs, "My presence may be a distraction to the rebuilding effort, but, on the other hand, if they feel the need to hold someone to account, I shall not run away from my responsibilities."

"And which responsibilities are they? Those to the PLANTs, or to your son?" Patrick glanced at her in surprise when she uttered those words harshly, but Caggallie did not stop, continuing firmly, "You told Athrun he was more important to you than the PLANTs, that he was _worth_ them, but right now, your putting him beneath them again. If you go back, it is likely you will be imprisoned, or, if someone is really keen, you might even end up dead, legally, or not. Are you going to drag him through all that again?" He opened his mouth to respond, then promptly shut it again, and once she was certain he had nothing to say Caggallie delivered her finally say on the matter.

"If the two of you need some place to stay until this has all blown over, Orb is open to you both," the expression on his face was highly incredulous now, but she did not allow him to interrupt, "Because I can forgive you for having come after my country, we were a threat after all, and I can even forgive what happened to Kira. But," she let the word hang for a moment, "If you make Athrun go through all this again, I can _never_ forgive you."

* * *

"Captain, we have multiple heat sources approaching from all directions...Mobile suits, enemy vessels...They're all coming!"Mirriallia's panicked cry was given to the backdrop of Natarle's hoarse shouts, but Murrue ignored the latter, focussing solely on the former, that which was important to her own decisions.

"Where is the Justice?" she demanded sharply, "Are the Saviour and the Akatsuki returning yet?"

"I can't find the Justice," Flay responded, barely restraining obvious fear, "There's too much interference!"

"Saviour is off the sensors as well," Mirriallia responded, her voice slightly more level, "But the Akatsuki is heading back now, ma'am, they aren't going to reach us in time...Ah!"

That final yelp was in response to the sudden shuddering of the Archangel's frame as the team which had been assaulting the Justice before began a new barrage, this time targeting the Archangel itself with their near suicidal assault. Murrue could not believe the Earth Forces had constructed vessels with such a form of attack, but it was a fact she did not have time to wonder about.

"They're in our blind spot!" Natarle warned, "Captain Ramius, we can't shoot them down!"

"The Akatsuki is engaging enemy mobile suits at point 6," Mirriallia interrupted, "Captain, he can't reach us!"

Murrue gave a low growl under her breath, scowling darkly to the fore for a moment, before at last settling in her resolve. There was a large likelihood they would not make it out of this alive, but if they were going to go down, they weren't going to go alone.

"Arnold, aim us straight at that war cruiser ahead, we're going to play them at their own game."

"R-ram it, Captain?" for a moment the pilot turned to stare at her incredulously, but upon meeting her determined gaze he merely nodded, offering her a grim smile of camaraderie, before turning back to the helm, "Roger that. The Archangel is moving out."

* * *

There were alarms blaring somewhere in the distance, trying to tell him something, something important, something to do with danger, but his foggy mind refused to comprehend more than the blood that was blurring his vision, and the fact his visor had shattered. The latter fact alone prevented him from seeing what the alarm was for in any case, and finally reacting to the incessant noise he lifted his hands and pulled the damage helmet free, inwardly thankful for the fact the cockpit was still intact. He was coherent enough to realize that at some point the wound on his head had reopened, and to take note of the fact the Meteor was still attached to the Justice, but beyond that he had no idea what had happened, or how he had gotten in his current position, or even if the mission had been a success. Breathing was painful for the moment, and the tenderness about his side allayed only slightly by the numbness that seemed to have gripped his entire body suggested a broken rib or two from whatever impact had finally sent him into the realm of unconsciousness. But, it was bearable.

Lifting one hand in an attempt to stem the flow of blood from the head wound he reached out with the other to try and check his system, only to find just about all of the Justice's equipment was down. He had no communications, no outer cameras, not even any movement, in fact the only thing that was still functioning was the Meteor, fat lot of good that would do when he couldn't aim it, and his helmet was broken, which meant he could hardly rely on the oxygen in his jetpack to get him to safety, or even open his cockpit for that matter.

In actual fact, the silence of his present location was eery, and disturbing. If he was still on the battlefield, the enemy should have finished him off the moment he became immobile, and if they hadn't finished him off he should at least be able to hear the sounds of the battle still going on outside. The only conclusion, then, was that either he had been moved away from the battle, or the battle had moved away from him, neither a particularly comforting thought, for no one was going to find him any time soon in either situation.

"In trouble again," he could not help the wry smirk that danced across his face, if briefly, before transforming into a grimace. "Caggallie is going to kill me."

His vision was blurred again now, even with the shattered visor removed, and he closed his eyes in an attempt to ward off the nausea that accompanied that. His head felt terrible, like it was being pounded on by dozens of tiny hammers, and his thoughts were becoming less and less coherent by the moment, so that his attempts to puzzle a way out of this situation spun in fruitless circles. Yet, despite that, he knew he had to do something. He couldn't just sit here when there was a battle going on outside, and he couldn't just sit here even if there wasn't. He had every intention of surviving this battle, of being able to see what came about as a result of their struggles, and of spending time with those people who were precious to him, and he was _not_ just going to float about in space waiting for someone to pick him off. There _had_ to be a way to start the Justice again, even if he just transferred what power was left in the Meteor over to it in order to get the cameras working again so he could _see_.

He reached out to touch the panel again, only to come to a jarring halt as the pain in his side stopped him short, burning with a stinging pain that was far more intense than what he had felt before. Slightly bewildered, and still incredibly dizzy, he dropped his hand away from the controls to tentatively explore the injured area, only to jerk his hand back in dismay to study the crimson now adorning his glove. More than a broken rib, then, and now the added danger of blood loss. He sighed, gritting his teeth against the pain as he reached for the panel for the third time. He was in danger of passing out again at this rate, but, if that didn't kill him, he was sure Caggallie would, simply for getting injured again.

He just had to make sure he was there to give her the opportunity.

* * *

"What the hell is this?"

Yzak was certain the Earth Forces had lost whatever small amount of sense they had ever possessed, and that had hardly been a great amount to begin with, but what they were doing now was madness, plain and simple. He had not believed that the destruction of the Requiem would assure complete victory, there would still be some people who thought they could win this fight, but for the entire fleet to continue fighting without a commander was insane, not to mention deadly for _his_ side. And then there were the tactics they were using. Seriously, who the _hell_ would think to design a machine specifically for ramming into the enemy at high speed?

"Yzak, the Archangel is in trouble!"

"I know, but we've got other issues to deal with right now!"

And why Dearka thought he didn't know that he would never know, it was easy to see the vessel's piteous state, even from this distance, but there was very little he could do about that. The Saviour, on the other hand, was nearer, not to mention much more attainable, and it was towards that machine he focussed his efforts, forcing the four mobile suits trying to gang up on it to back off and face the equally numbered newcomers. But, even that small success was short lived, because the Saviour was out of power, and it was hardly easy to battle when trying to protect a crippled vessel.

"Geez, how many of these guys are there?" Shiho's complaint, uttered a moment after she had been first rammed into by one of the suicide pilots, then tossed about by two of the more advanced vessels, had already been voiced inside Yzak's mind, though less in frustration than genuine concern. Yzak was no coward, but he was not a fool either, and it was becoming readily apparent that this enemy believed it could overwhelm them. And they might just be right, because even with the Voltaire joining in the battle, they were still ridiculously outnumbered. Not enough people had responded to the broadcast, and now, that was going to be costly.

"Dammit! What are they trying to gain here? If they beat us, there's still the rest of ZAFT, and they don't have the Requiem. Just give up already!"

"They hate us," surprisingly enough it was Rey who answered, the blond pilot breaking his usual silence to comment, "And everything we've done, and they won't back down until one or the other of us is obliterated, not even if Miss Azrael asks them too."

"Well, that's. Just. Fine!" Swinging the Destiny's beam saber in a large arc Yzak proceeded to use the machine's bulk to retaliate with the enemy's own methods, slamming forcefully into one of the suits,then using that as a shield to slice a good portion off one of the others, "Back off, bastards, you've lost! Shiho, get the Saviour the hell out of here, I don't care what you do with it, just get it off the battlefield. Dearka, Rey, with me. We're going to take these bastards down!"

"Now you're talking!" Dearka gave a whoop of laughter, forming up on his right as Rey mimicked his actions on the left, the three of them diving into the fray as one.

* * *

Malina Lowe was a member of the non hostile group of salvagers known as the Junk Guild, retrievers of the left overs of battles, people who saved what could be saved, and left what could not. As such, she had seen her fair share of the destruction that followed any confrontation between two opposing sides, and she knew that human lives were one of the things that often lay within the latter category. On the other hand, she had never seen a battle in progress before, and this one was _terrifying_, which is why she could not understand the calm expressions on the faces of the two men standing on her right and left. They had commandeered her vessel for their own purposes, albeit with her permission, the reason she had ended up here in the first place, much closer than she had ever wanted to be to any real action. Though, it had been her decision to pick up the younger of the pair that led to this situation in the first place, so you could say it was her own fault they were now watching a situation that was only kept separate from them by a large amount of debris playing out on the main screen.

"The Clyne Faction is taking a real beating," she murmured at last, breaking the silence, and drawing a pair of sharp, green eyes to her face, so that she hastened to add, "Are you sure you should be interfering? You're injuries aren't properly healed yet, and..."

"Relax," the younger of the two patted her shoulder reassuringly, unaware that the action revealed the bandages hidden beneath the sleeves of his coat, "I know what I'm doing, and besides, I'm an elite, and I have an ace team to back me up. Isn't that right, Commander Lawson?"

"That is correct," apparently untroubled by the fact this pilot had nearly died and was still critically injured the older soldier gave a steady nod, turning away from the screen to face the four other red uniforms waiting patiently behind him, "Boaz says that Lieutenant Hahnenfuss is out there, people, let's not let one of our own go unsupported. Prepare the machines for launch, we're going to teach these Earth Forces punks a lesson, once and for all."


	40. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39: A Frozen Moment**

Kira could not stop fidgeting as he waited for the mechanics of the Voltaire to finish the necessary repairs and resupply of the Saviour, though they could hardly repair the outer armor that had been severed, they _could_ still get it up and running in time for him to rejoin the battle. He did not know what was going on outside, and all the crew were willing to disclose was that another set of ZAFT forces had entered the battlefield. That meant they had reinforcements, he thought so, anyway, but no one had told him how many or how much of a difference it was making. The Archangel, or, in other words, his _friends_, were still out there on the battlefield fighting, and he wanted to get back out there as quickly as possible.

"It will be at least another ten minutes before they get it up and running," he turned in surprise at being addressed, watching the young mechanic floating about in midair with a computer in his lap, typing away furiously even as he spoke, "You should sit down a moment."

"I'm fine." he turned away to stare back at his machine, but apparently the other did not think the conversation was over yet, for he continued.

"The team that has come is the Lawson squad, they're a part of the Special Forces, infiltration type work, and the Commander is a master strategist. With him here, this battle is likely already won. You have nothing to worry about."

"It's only one force," it was an effort to prevent his fist curling into the balls of tension they wished to form, "They can't be everywhere at once."

"I guess," the boy was looking at him now, head cocked curiously to the side, "You're a member of the Clyne Faction, right?"

"I...guess you could say that," he was taken aback by the unexpected question, "I'm from Orb."

"Huh," the mechanic gave a slight snort, "Not so long ago we were fighting that country, and now we're fixing your machine. Weird world, right?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," Kira could see the irony of the situation, even if it was not the thing foremost on his mind at the moment, "How much longer?"

"Five minutes," the mechanic had turned back to his work now, a frown flittering across his face, "Though, we can't repair all the outer armor, and there is a chance there could still be some internal damage. Why don't you just sit this one out? It'll all be over soon anyway."

"No, I _have_ to go back out." Kira rebuked the idea at once, because no matter how messed up this world was, there was still good people living in it, and _that_ was what made it worth protecting.

* * *

Yzak had never liked being proven wrong, it was an eventuality he despised, because if he had his way he would _never_ be wrong. On the other hand, right now, he was quite pleased by the fact. The ZAFT force that had abruptly intruded on the battle was a literal lifesaver, not because they were a large force, in fact they were a single team of elites backed up by the customary green uniform teams, but because they _were_ elites, Commander Lawson's team, one of the very best. There was also the fact that they had timed their entrance, for, though their timely interjection might have appeared coincidental, he knew Commander Lawson was far too tactical a man for that. He must have known his team would be outnumbered, so he had waited until the enemy forces had begun to wear themselves down, and then he had made his move. It had been just long enough for the enemy's energy to begun to run out, and just _not_ long enough for the members of the Clyne Faction to be entirely wiped out.

"Commander!" Shiho's voice was a mix between relief and excitement, bordering on hysteria even, and Yzak could not blame her. They had been only ten seconds away from being completely obliterated, if that. "It's about time you showed up!"

"Indeed? Where are your manners, girl?" Lawson's response was given with good humor, "Your new commander been teaching you bad habits?"

"Like you'd never believe!" Shiho laughed, though she sounded closer to tears as the Joule Team moved into formation about the newcomers.

"All right, then," Commander Lawson took command the moment the movement was complete, "Let's clean this mess up. There are further reinforcements coming from ZAFT's other space station, they should be here within a few minutes, so let's finish before then, shall we? Target the enemy battle cruisers, it doesn't matter how great their mobile suits are, if they can't return to recharge, they're useless. Commander Joule, I suggest you take what is left of your team back to support the Clyne Faction, they're taking a beating, let _us_ deal with the frontline."

"Roger that, Dearka, Rey, let's move!" Yzak was already spinning the Destiny about before the older officer had finished speaking, though his renewed energy did not last more than few seconds, before he swallowed abruptly, "Please tell me the Archangel did _not_ just do what I think it just did?"

"You are not mistaken, Commander," Rey responded instantly, "That ship just _rammed_ the enemy."

"Nutters!" Dearka exploded, "Are they trying to kill themselves?"

"They're immobile," Yzak interrupted, quickly regaining his equilibrium, "Move it! We can't let that ship go down, or any of the others for that matter! The Earth Forces think they've won this battle, let's show them jut how wrong they are!"

* * *

"Sis! You're okay!"

Luna was not entirely prepared for the eventuality of being mugged the moment she stepped within the room, but she did not complain, returning Meyrin's embrace with her one good arm. She understood what it was like to fear for someone you cared about, to not know if they were okay, and she knew it must have been difficult for the young girl being left alone. Shin, two steps behind her, and still looking hideously pale, was watching them with a muted expression, his face slightly twisted, though he looked away the moment her gaze fell on him, only to jerk when he realized the little reunion was not going unwitnessed.

"Why, hello there," for a man who had just lost an arm and leg to irreparable damage, not to mention the patch covering his right eye, Andrew Waltfield was unbelievably cheerful, even going so far as to raise a hand in a slight wave, "I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

"I know who you are," Luna told him, stepping back so she was at an equal distance from both Meyrin and Shin, wishing she had functional limbs enough to hold onto them both, "The Desert Tiger, Andrew Waltfield. I'm Lunamaria Hawk,and..."

"Shin Asuka," she was surprised he had taken the initiative to introduce himself, for he didn't normally bother, but she did not mention that thought aloud, "Excuse me, sir, but do you know if there has been any word of the battle?"

"Well, you probably know as I do that the Requiem must have been destroyed," Andrew's expression was considering, "But, seeing as neither Aisha or Miss Clyne have made an appearance yet, I'm guessing they're still waiting up on the bridge for news from the Archangel. I wouldn't worry, though, kid, the crew of that vessel is tough, they'll come out of it all right. Half of your team is there, right?"

"Rey, the Captain, and the Commander," Luna nodded, swallowing slightly, "I really hope you're right, sir. Meyrin," she hesitated, glancing towards the second bed, where the curtain was half drawn, "How's Nichol?"

"He's still unconscious," through her hold on the younger girl's arm she felt the slight shudder, and immediately reacted with a reassuring squeeze, earning her a small smile from Meyrin as she continued, "But the doctor thinks the danger is over now. It's just a matter of giving his body time to recover."

"Kid did a brave thing, getting in the way of the blast like that," Andrew murmured thoughtfully, "If it weren't for him this ship, and the people on it, wouldn't be here at all."

And _that_ was a terrifying thought. To have lost Meyrin, her little sister, would have been a searing blow to both her and her parents, and she had no idea how she would have dealt with that. She owed Nichol her sister's life, as well as the lives of the others on this ship that he had saved, even if she did not know them. She had respected Nichol Amalfi before, right now, she was ready to do anything he might ask in order to repay that debt. She opened her mouth to state as much, but before she had a chance the door had burst open, a middle aged woman with long blue hair and yellow highlights barreling into the room, just about crashing into the visitors, though she all but ignored them as she alighted on the ground beside Andrew's bed.

"We have news, Andy!" she burst out excitedly, "The Lawson Team, and several other mobile suit groups are converging on the battleground. They're going to help us!"

"Well, that's certainly an interesting turn of events. I didn't expect Command Lawson to intervene," Andrew rubbed his chin thoughtfully with one hand, "Any word from the Archangel?"

"Unfortunately not," Aisha shook her head slowly, "This message came from Boaz, we still have no idea if our guys survived."

"They've survived," there was a fierceness to those words that drew all eyes to Shin's face, but he met their curious gazes head on, amber eyes blazing, "They've survived," he repeated firmly, "There's no way the Commander would let some pathetic Earth Forces' machine take his team out, or anyone else he was serving alongside!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Andrew grinned as he gave a slight shrug, "That kid certainly is a stubborn brat, and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he didn't defeat the whole enemy force through sheer willpower."

* * *

"Murrue Ramius!" Mu waited only until the door to the bridge had opened before making that utterance, his voice a mixture of exasperation and some unnamable emotion. He could not _believe_ what that woman had ordered the ship to do, effectively crippling it, decimating the enemy as well, mind you, though that was besides the point. _He_ was the one who was supposed to do crazy things, not her, dammit!

"Lieutenant," she was standing beside her chair, rather than sitting in it, watching as the battle they were no longer a part of was gradually concluded. The intrusion of ZAFT into the picture had sealed the Earth Forces' fate, and they would not be winning this battle, not today. The Archangel was too badly damaged to take part in the final sortie, however, and the Akatsuki, wonderful machine that it was, had finally drained it's near inexhaustible power supply, leaving him with no choice but to sit it out as well. "It's good to see you safe and sound."

"Ditto."

Using the back of the elevator to push himself forward he ignored her attempt to dodge him, catching her in a warm embrace right where she stood. He did not care if the entire bridge crew was watching, or if the expression on the Captain's face when he entered had warned him against making such a move, she had scared the hell out of him with that stunt, so she could put up with this as her punishment. Surprisingly enough, other than the initial expression of dismay on her face, she did not resist being held, even going so far as to return the gesture. He could feel her trembling with this close contact, and he wouldn't have been surprised if he was as well. They had come so close, all of them, to being destroyed today, but they were still alive. _Still alive_.

And _that_, that was all that mattered.

* * *

"Lacus," the pink haired songstress glanced up when she heard herself being called, smiling when she recognized the speaker, "Has there been any word?"

"None from the Archangel, yet," she repressed a sigh at that, reaching a hand out to pull Caggallie down to prevent her from floating past, "But, we have news from Boaz that ZAFT have moved to help them."

"Which means there must still be someone alive to help, right?" Caggallie was clearly trying to find a bright side out of all of this, and Lacus tried to reassure her with a smile.

"Of course. The mission has clearly succeeded, and I do not believe the Earth Forces are strong enough to have stopped the Archangel and it's support vessels already. They are strong, Caggallie, they'll survive, no matter what it takes."

The blond sighed in response, raking a hand through her already tangled hair as she responded, "Yeah, I know. I just wish we didn't have to stay here waiting for them to come back."

"Mr. Kisaki said the emergency repairs on the Kusanagi will be finished soon," she relayed the message she herself had received but moments before, "The wounded have already transferred over to the Eternal, so if you wanted to go..."

"I can't," Caggallie sighed, giving her head a reluctant shake, "There isn't any point, and I'd only be endangering my life. I'll admit I want to, I really, _really_ want to, but I have a duty to Orb to stay alive. It sucks, but it's true."

"I understand the Chairman intends to publicly transmit all the information we have on what transpired, right back to the initiation of the Heron Project," and that little tit bit of information, offered whilst they were waiting for news on whether the mission was successful or not, had been a shocker. Lacus had not known anything about it, and Caggallie had only heard half the story at the time Patrick explained it all. "It will be difficult for him to reassert authority in the PLANTs if he goes through with that, but I'm sure Yuri Amalfi, or even Eileen Canaver, will withdraw ZAFT from Orb as soon as possible."

"Out of most of the Earth, Orb was one of the least scathed areas," Caggallie intoned quietly, "I'm more concerned about what the PLANTs might do. A third of their number was wiped out, will they really let war end now, of all times?"

"I believe that is the reason behind the Chairman's decision to release the truth to the public," Lacus sighed, folding her hands in her lap as she seated herself in the captain's chair, "If the people realize this whole war was orchestrated by a single man, they may be less keen to attack the Earth Forces, who were under the control of that same man. In actual truth, this was not a real war, because everyone was fighting for something that did not exist. I fear what the Chairman plans to do will not be enough, however, which is why I intend to return to the PLANTs and help in any way I can. I do not doubt that the members of the Joule Team feel the same way, even Commander Joule and Captain Elsman, both of whom have parents who are less than popular in the PLANTs at the moment."

"You could be in danger too, you know." she had expected Caggallie to bring that up, and she waved it off at once.

"It is what my father would have done," she returned steadily, "And I will not desert the PLANTs. They have a need of me right now, as Siegel Clyne's daughter, as a member of the Clyne Faction, and as myself. I have a duty to the PLANTs just as you do to Orb, which leads me to turn against my own desires to serve theirs."

"It isn't easy," Caggallie sighed, folding her arms across her chest and scowling at the floor, "Is it?"

"Nothing worth doing is ever easy," Lacus agreed sagely, "And that's exactly the reason why we do it."

* * *

"Stay at the back of the battlefield? Now that hardly seems fair."

Settling back in his cockpit the pilot of the less than generic ZAKU watched the battle that was nearing it's close on the screen within his machine, carefully taking note of any enemy suits that tried to escape from ZAFT's rapidly closing net. He knew the reason why Commander Lawson had kept him back in reserve, but he was still itching to take a more active role in the battle. Still, Malina had allowed them to take her vessel, not to mention retrieving _him_, and it was the least he could do to protect it from any stragglers who might use this as a way out. Abruptly his thoughts were interrupted as the sensors on the monitor set off an alert, and hurriedly he switched the camera view to study what his machine had picked up, frowning at the view now presented to him.

"But, that's the..."

Cutting himself off mid-sentence he hurriedly activated the engines of his machine, drifting to the starboard side of the vessel he was protecting, towards the latent object his machine had detected. It was a surprise the thing had shown up on the sensors at all, given that it appeared to be completely out of energy, so shouldn't have been emitting any heat whatsoever. Seizing a hold of the machine the moment he was within range he made sure his grip on the other was secure, before reversing his direction at the same time as he opened a com-line with Malina's vessel.

"Miss Lowe, I'm boarding."

"Okay," the non military response was reminder once again that this young woman was a civilian, and, coincidentally, a civilian who had saved his life, " The hatch is open."

Not bothering to confirm that further he carefully plotted his course to land within the hangar as smoothly as possible, thankful for the salvage freighter's large space, for otherwise he feared he would not have been able to pull the other vessel onboard, not with the auxiliary equipment attached. Securing his machine in it's dock he opened the cockpit and pushed himself out, dodging around the back of the second vessel and pulling his way around to the front, searching for the emergency switch on the outside to open the hatch. It took him a moment to find it, mostly because the cockpit on the vessel was lower than he had expected, but he was relieved to find the feature had not been damaged, unlike most of the rest of the vessel, and opened easily upon being activated.

"Athrun?" Cautiously he edged his way within the cockpit, noting briefly the fact the pilot was not wearing his helmet, the damaged piece of equipment floating aimlessly about the cockpit. "Athrun Zala?"

Gently he reached out to seize the unconscious pilot's shoulder, shaking him briefly, which roused Athrun enough to draw a slight moan from his lips, his eyelids fluttering briefly, before opening in a squint that rapidly transformed into a wide eyed stare, the word that left his lips uttered in little more than a hushed whisper.

"_Heine_?"


	41. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40: The Hardest Battle**

"_It is courage that vanquishes in war, and not good weapons."-Spanish Proverb_

Infirmaries. Hospitals. Sick Bays. Medical Facilities. All different names, describing the same civilized method of torture.

Athrun was rapidly getting sick of seeing the sterile walls of ship infirmaries, as well as the people who normally occupied them, though it was debatable whether it was the room itself, or the events that led him to ending up in them, that was the true object of his growing dislike. On the other hand, though it possessed the necessary quarters, the salvaging vessel he now found himself on did not have any medical staff, only the young woman responsible for operating it, who, though capable, was a true novice when it came to first aid. That could be counted as the reason Heine had taken the opportunity to prove how well he had absorbed the lessons of emergency field medication, and though Athrun would have preferred to deal with the injuries himself, including the gash in his side caused by a piece of loose shrapnel that had broken off due to the ramming attacks, even he had to concede that, when he could hardly see straight, it was unlikely he would he able to sufficiently tend to them. It certainly wasn't the first time, either, for there had been multiple occasions during his training where he had served as a real life test for his fellow Academy candidates.

Though, he did have to admit it _was_ a new experience to be treated by a man who was supposed to be _dead_.

"You know," Heine broke the silence with just two words, uttered only a moment after he had turned his attention away from the more dangerous wound on Athrun's side to the head trauma, his voice quietly pensive, "I may not be an expert, but this hardly looks like an injury that would be sustained within a mobile suit."

"It's not," he admitted, resisting an urge to flinch away at the pain caused by the other soldier's administrations, though he did not elaborate, instead taking a different tactic,and asking the question his mind had been too fuzzy to formulate before, "How did you end up here, Heine? They said you were dead."

"Well, that _is_ disappointing," given the fact they were talking about his demise, Athrun found those words hard to swallow, until Heine elaborated, "I would have thought my team should know me better than that. I managed to eject just before that charming pilot sliced my vessel in half, though I got caught in the explosion. Malina picked me up before I ran out of air, though I think I gave her a good scare. You ever tried to explain to someone how to tend injuries when you're only half conscious? No? Well, I don't advise it. Fortunately, for the both of us, we encountered Commander Lawson's team exploring the area, and I managed to convince them it was worthwhile responding to that broadcast made by your allies. It wasn't all that difficult, not after a message from Boaz let the Commander know one of his former pilots was involved. He leant me a mobile suit, but refused to let me partake in the main battle, and instead assigned me here to keep an eye on Malina's vessel, since we had borrowed it. Though," taking a step back to study his handiwork for a moment the older pilot cocked his head to the side with a frown, "By the looks of things, I'm not the only one who shouldn't have been on that battlefield." he paused for only a second, before grinning abruptly, "Poor Malina! I'm sure she's sick of seeing bloody pilots by now."

"I'm not intending to make it a habit, certainly," the young woman who had just stepped within the room responded with complete seriousness, before turning to hand the shirt and coat in her hands to Athrun, "Here, they aren't mine, but my brother's, so they should fit. Heine, Commander Lawson has sent a message asking us to join him at a designated point, did you want me to take you there, or will you fly your suit?"

"Well," Heine paused a moment to consider, and Athrun rose somewhat unsteadily to his feet, tugging on the clothes Malina had provided to replace the shredded, not to mention blood stained, upper half of his flight suit, "The Justice isn't going to be operable any time soon," the older pilot continued at last, "So you'd better take us."

"All right." Nodding once the girl left the room, the door sliding shut behind her before Heine spoke again, this time his voice tinged with a more serious note.

"Is it true about the Minerva going down...with all it's crew?"

"It's true...They fired the Tannhauser at point blank range to break the colony apart once Shin had severed the beams...I'm sorry."

Athrun responded quietly, remembering his own disbelief when told the news. It had been a necessary sacrifice, certainly, that much had been obvious, but it was still shocking to think of how many lives had been thrown away there, as well as how many lives had followed that sacrifice. This series of battles had been costly, if nothing else, and, the immense loss of life aside, the numbers were troubling. The more people who were dead meant more people grieving, and after what had happened with Requiem, the anger that accompanied such grief was going to be threefold. It would be difficult to avert further battles, especially if the Earth Forces chose to continue fighting. The only way to resolve this once and for all was to organize an official ceasefire, they _had_ to make it that far, otherwise this entire thing could drag on for months.

"I see," Heine's response cut through his musings, and he glanced up as the older pilot sighed, "Talia always did have a habit of completing the mission successfully against all odds, and she _did_ succeed in saving the Earth, her and the others, so you can't exactly say she gave her life for nothing."

Heine's ability to act with reasonable good cheer, even in the face of such grim news, bewildered Athrun completely, but he did not question it aloud. Thinking of the many lives that had been thrown away in order to achieve something was never a fact he could look at with such objectivity, and thinking of those lives that had been thrown away _pointlessly _even less so. A _lot_ of people had died in the last few weeks, many, many people, and it would be a long time before either side recovered from the shock. This war couldn't continue, it couldn't be _allowed_ to continue, he just hoped Lacus, Caggallie, and his father could find a way to achieve that, before this spiraled out of control and began all over again. For all he knew, for things to escalate into full scale war again might have been Rau's intention, and, in that case, it was thrice as necessary to prevent that eventuality.

The world could not stand another war, and, honestly, he did not think he could either.

He had joined the military knowing full well the consequences of becoming a soldier, knowing of the bloodshed, the need to kill, that accompanied holding a rank within the military. He had known, just as well as any other recruit, but knowing something and experiencing it were two vastly different things. To know you had to take a life, and to actually take it. To choose between the lives of your comrades or the lives of people you had never met. To _be_ a weapon for war. It was that knowledge made into reality that broke people, _living_ that reality that broke them, and maybe some people were strong enough to see it through without looking back, without fearing sleep because of the nightmares that accompanied it, but _he_ was not.

They had won the first battle, but now the hardest of all began, the battle to _prevent_ war. They were _still_ on the front lines, fighting that battle, a fight that had transcended ages, that seemed won for a time, but whose victories were always piteously short lived. It made him wonder, really, how many times humanity intended to try and wipe itself out before people learnt to get along. Except, it wasn't most people who were the problem, but the few who insisted on starting conflicts, mostly for insufficient reasons.

Although, in his mind, there was _no_ reason sufficient for justifying mass murder.

"You know, I don't think worrying is very remedial for a head wound," Athrun realized his emotions must have been showing on his face as Heine interjected, breaking off his darkening train of thoughts with his atypically light hearted tone, "Besides, the worst has already happened, there shouldn't _be_ anything to worry about."

"There's plenty to worry about," he countered at once, "We've come this far, and this time there shouldn't be any more unpleasant surprises, at least, I hope not. But, now...we have to _maintain_ this position."

"That may be so," Heine conceded that point, though not the other, "But, worrying about it isn't going to change the fact, is it? We'll just follow Talia's example, and do what we have to, and, if that means fighting again, then so be it. Whatever it takes to end this. Now, morbidity aside, I intend to report to Commander Lawson in order to get an update on current events, are you coming?"

"Of course." Athrun did not hesitate to follow, because even if what Heine had mentioned would be difficult, perhaps even impossible, there really was no choice, and _that_ was because he had made a decision, a choice made what seemed like eons ago, that simple choice to try and protect the future.

The decision to defend hope.

* * *

"Yes!" Meyrin was not embarrassed by the fact she had uttered that whoop of triumph aloud, or by the fact by bouncing to her feet she had set herself floating out of the lowered compartment she was in charge of. Right now, she wouldn't have cared if the entire crew was looking at her, her shyness for once totally absent, because the news she had just received was enough to crush it under the heartwarming weight of elation settling on her shoulders. "We've just received confirmation," she told the two older girls, one seated on the Captain's chair, the other standing alongside it, "The Archangel _is_ intact, and the Justice, Saviour, and Akatsuki with it! Even the Joule Team, they're all safe!"

"_Finally_!" Caggallie breathed an audible sigh of relief, slumping slightly where she stood, if only for a moment, "That means the battle was won, doesn't it?"

"It does," Lacus' response was much more reserved than either of the others', though there was still obvious pleasure in her expression, "And now the work begins. I need to organize transport to the PLANTs as swiftly as possible, and I'm guessing Natarle will be traveling back down to the Headquarters on the Moon to deal with those Earth Forces remnants."

"And I need to get back to Orb," Caggallie agreed, her good mood evaporating so swiftly Meyrin blinked in astonishment. Hadn't they all been celebrating a moment ago? "It's not actually _over_ yet, is it?"

"It's not over," Lacus agreed firmly, "But that's a good thing," she turned to smile briefly at Meyrin, then back at Caggallie, "It's a good thing, because it means we still have a chance to fix things."

* * *

"We're alive! _Alive_! I _love _that word!"

Yzak had good reason to be thankful Commander Lawson was not the type to be overly strict on formality, even if he _was_ a master tactician, or else, as Dearka's captain, he was sure he would have been reprimanded by now, especially given the way the blond pilot was capering about in midair, doing his best to adapt a victory dance to zero gravity. For once, on the other hand, he did not feel like striking the other pilot for his behavior, for once he didn't even give a damn _what_ Dearka did, he could strip dance for all he cared, because they _were_ alive, and that was definitely something worth celebrating. Alive against all odds.

"Congratulations, Commander Joule," Shiho, much more reserved in her celebration than Dearka, was smiling broadly, her helmet tucked under one arm, "I believe you take the prize for having the captain most replicative of a clown on your squad."

"At least he's a living clown," Yzak responded with complete seriousness, "We're all lucky to be standing here right now, let him have his fun for now, this time, at least, he deserves it."

"On that count we both agree," Commander Lawson had finally moved away from what Yzak presumed was a debriefing of the other pilots, his forbiddingly tall figure belied by the welcoming smile on his face, "That was a very impressive set of achievements. Commander Joule, I believe this is the first time we have met in person since I was scouting out the Academy. It is nice to see more than a few familiar faces have survived this war, and Lieutenant Hahnenfuss! I should have known you would not stay in one place for long."

"I took objection to Le Creuset," Shiho responded honestly, with only a slight trace of humor in her voice, "Besides, this team is much more amusing."

"So I see," Lawson cast Dearka a sidelong glance, before turning to the figure flanking Yzak's other side, "And you are Rey Za Burrel. Talia's son?"

"That's correct, sir," even now Rey was as stiffly formal as ever, "You knew my mother?"

"I should think so," Lawson gave a brief laugh, "I taught her everything she knew, she'll be sorely missed by many, I can tell you that much. And who is this?" finally taking note of the last member of their party, or, in other words, the personage of Kira Yamato, Lawson raised an eyebrow slightly, "I believe I have seen your face somewhere before..."

"I'm Kira Yamato," shifting uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny the brunette replied truthfully, "I was standing trial in the PLANTs a while back."

"Oh, of course," Lawson waved _that_ fact off with surprising ease, though the words that followed explained that much, "I'm guessing all of us will be standing trial if we return to the PLANTs at this point. None of us acted on orders, not that there were any orders to be had, and the military is hardly popular at the current time...Heine, there you are!"

Yzak stiffened, spinning about in astonishment to drink in the sight of his supposedly dead subordinate marching into the hangar accompanied by none other than Athrun Zala himself, though Yzak hardly noted the second presence, blurting without forethought. "Bloody hell! How many of my comrades are going to come back from the dead?"

"Good to see you too, Commander," Heine replied with good grace, not at all affected by his unorthodox reception, "I offer my apologies on that count, but I didn't have time to send word in advance."

"Oh, don't mind Yzak," Apparently finished cavorting about Dearka dropped down to slap Heine heartily on the shoulder, apparently oblivious to the grimace that gesture caused, "He's just being a stuff shirt. We love alive-dead people, right, Shiho?"

"Of course," the Lieutenant agreed flippantly, "That means I can kill you, correct?"

Paling Dearka hurriedly back away two steps to take refuge just behind Athrun, though Yzak had by then chosen to ignore his subordinate's actions, turning back to Lawson as the senior commander spoke.

"So, the biggest question facing us all right now, is; where to go from here? The Earth Forces are driven back for the moment, and after discussing the matter with the Clyne Faction, and the members of the vessel Archangel, it would seem that Miss Sarah Azrael is going to attempt to reestablish control of them to prevent any further outbreaks of battle. Either way, staying in this vicinity of space for too long is not a good idea, we're too close and too likely to provoke the enemy. I, for one, intend to return to the PLANTs no matter the consequences, whether you do or not is your choice. I won't force any of you, because, honestly, I have no idea what will happen once we get there."

"Lacus intends to go back to the PLANTs," Athrun stated abruptly, "I'm sure of that. Things will be better once she does."

"Yes, there would appear to be a considerable amount of support for the Clyne Faction at the present time," Lawson agreed with a brief nod, "Particularly seeing as that group was responsible for the planning behind taking out Requiem. If anyone can restore order right now, it is that family, but it will still be dangerous."

"Which is why we'll be going as well," Yzak cut in, not wanting to be excluded from the conversation, "She will need protection, and more protection than just the Faction."

"I'm going back with you," that declaration from Athrun was quite unexpected, all the more so because Yzak was not blind, and he had hardly failed to notice the mutual affection between his former captain and the Representative of Orb. If anything, he would have expected Athrun to return to that country, particularly given the circumstances of his departure. Athrun _had_ technically deserted, though given that he had joined the Clyne Faction in doing so, perhaps that would be overlooked more easily than those who had stayed loyal to their military, with dire consequences. In any case, there was no hesitation in Athrun's voice as he made that decision, or even as he explained his reasons, "After all, no matter how small, as a soldier I contributed to this mess. I have an obligation to fix it."

"Here, here!" Dearka raised an imaginary glass, "The Zala Team back together again! Oh, wait, oops. Sorry, Yzak."

"Shut up, idiot," it was more of a muttered comment of exasperation than his usual snap this time, but Yzak could not be bothered going further, "What about you, Yamato?"

"Me?" Kira, who had apparently been having a daydream, gave a start at being addressed, and Yzak continued impatiently.

"Yes, _you_. Unless I am very much mistaken, _you_ are the Orb Officer Lacus Clyne left Amigos with to begin with. She's going to the PLANTs now, are you?"

"Well, I...uh..."

"Kira has a duty to Orb as well," Athrun interjected mildly, "The Representative is his sister."

"Is that so?" Lawson looked at the brown haired Coordinator with renewed interest, before shaking himself and continuing the original line of conversation, "Oh, well, I'm sure you can make up your mind later. Right now we are escorting the Archangel back to join the rest of the Clyne Faction, where it may turn out we will be accompanying Miss Clyne directly to the PLANTs. For the moment, I suggest you all get some rest, and take some time to consider your options."

Offering a final salute the Commander floated away, taking the majority of his team with him, and leaving a strangely comfortable silence in his wake, though Yzak had no qualms about breaking it as he turned back to Athrun.

"So? Where's the Justice?"

"Relax," Athrun gave an offhand wave, "It's perfectly fine. Not exactly functional, but certainly repairable."

"I should have known," Yzak rolled his eyes, before switching the conversation to a more serious one, "You're really intending to come back to the PLANTs?"

"For a little while, at least," Athrun nodded, completely sincere, "Lacus will need what help she can get, and I'll be of more use there than in Orb, at least until things settle a little."

"It's going to be tough all right, the PLANTs authority will need a complete overhaul," Heine sighed, shrugging at the same time, "And that's if they don't decide to pursue this war."

"They won't pursue it," Yzak stated firmly, true conviction behind his words, "Because the soldiers won't fight it, and without them, there is absolutely nothing they can do."

* * *

"It's settled then."

Lacus was feeling rather pleased with herself, a state of conceit that she rarely dabbled in, but just this once she allowed herself to stop and take pride in what she had accomplished, because it was indeed a somewhat momentous occasion. What came after this battle would be the most important piece of all, where the difference between peace and war would finally be decided, and, in order for all to run smoothly, it was important the right people were in the right places at the right times. Having taking into account Caggallie's doubts about the Chairman returning to the PLANTs Lacus had come up with a means of sending him instead to Earth, with an assignment so important he could hardly refuse it, because, she knew, and he knew, that no matter how quickly Yuri Amalfi and Eileen Canaver managed to settle things on the PLANTs, there was no way they were going to be able to interfere on the Earth for some time, which meant the withdrawal of ZAFT forces from enemy territory was going to be left in the hands of the Chairman alone. The task was important enough to have squashed any objections for the moment, and if he still insisted on returning to his homeland afterwards, she was certain she could find another way to keep him busy.

As for the other side of things, Sarah Azrael had already sent word she was going to take Halberton, and what other troops were loyal to her, to travel to the moon base and find out who was in charge now, even going so far as to say she would stage a coup d'état if she had to. Lacus trusted that woman enough to get things under control, she was sheer willpower, and she would not be stopped, which left only Orb to be dealt with, and that lay in the capable hands of one Caggallie Yula Attha. Lacus was equally confident, if not more so, in Caggallie's skills to return that country to it's previous state, and now that Patrick's little excursion had been put off, she could turn her attention fully to the PLANTs. They were her responsibility now, as the leader of the Clyne Faction she was perhaps the only person capable of restoring order, and she was more than ready to shoulder that burden.

She _was_ ready, there was just a few people she needed to see first.

* * *

"Luna? Luna! Luna, wake up already!"

Someone was shaking her incessantly, and that, coupled with the constant nagging voice, was enough to jolt her from her pleasant world of slumber back to the real world, much to her displeasure, displeasure she conveyed quite easily through a fierce glare and an accompanying growl. "What the hell is it, Shin?"

"Meyrin buzzed you a moment ago, and then she sent _me_ when you wouldn't answer," he sounded irrationally indignant about being used as a messenger boy, and for a moment Luna wondered at the concept of Meyrin ordering Shin to do something. It didn't seem like her little sister at all, but then, Shin had been strangely biddable of late, even if his temper was entirely too foul. "She wanted you to know Amalfi woke up a while ago."

"Really? Nichol's awake!" Instantly alert Luna sat up with a start, which had the rather undesirable affect of her smacking her head into Shin's, sending her back to the couch's soft surface, and Shin to the floor with a yelp.

"What did you do that for?" He demanded crossly, not bothering to rise, "Isn't _one_ concussion enough for the both of us?"

"Sorry, Shin," she could not repress a small giggle at the sight of him glowering at her from the floor, "I guess I got a little carried away. But...Nichol's awake, I'm so pleased!"

"Why?" Shin was apparently in one of his stubborn moods, and his temper wasn't going to improve any time soon if she kept laughing at him, so she smothered her giggles with an effort, "You hardly even know him."

"But Meyrin knows him," getting to her feet she began to search about for where she had left her jacket, only to find she had been using it as a pillow, "That makes it important."

"Huh, whatever." still sitting on the ground Shin turned his glare to the floor, and, worried now, Luna paused with her arm halfway up her sleeve.

"Shin? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's just rainbows and sunshine, Luna, nothing could be better!"

"_Shin_."

"Fine," caving sooner than she had thought he would he turned on her suddenly, amber eyes blazing with a familiar look of anger, though it was not directed at her, or himself, but at the situation as a whole, "Everything is _not_ fine. The war is over, and that's great and everything, you'll be able to go back and live with your family, the Clyne Faction will probably become the government, and everyone on this ship will get their little happy endings. What about _me_? I don't have a damn family to go home to, and I've trained only as a soldier. What am I supposed to do now?"

"There's plenty of things you can do with what you were taught at Academy," she tried to reason with him, "Mechanics, flying, all of those things are useful outside of war, and, you know you're always welcome at our home, Shin, you're not all alone."

"It's not the same," he persisted stubbornly, "And if I came and stayed with you it would only be worse."

_Because you'd remember what you _didn't_ have_. Luna swallowed at that thought, realizing how painful a situation this must be for him. So long as she had known him Shin had always been motivated by revenge, sometimes it had seemed like his only reason to keep on going, but lately she had noticed a shift in that focus, something that had happened shortly after they discovered the Seventh Colony was falling. The only problem with that was, now that his purpose had been stolen from him, both by his own decisions and by the war's conclusion, there was nothing left.

"There is always the rebuilding effort."

"Rey!" Both surprised and pleased to see her teammate and friend alive and well Luna instantly sent him a heartwarming smile, helping Shin to his feet when she realized he wanted to rise, the youngest of the trio speaking quizzically.

"The rebuilding?"

"That's right," Rey gave a steady nod, the faint traces of a smile lingering on his face, rather than vanishing as it normally did, "There is going to be a lot of work to do trying to fix everything that was broken, and, in order to do that, it's going to take people who understand how everything was destroyed in the first place. Trust me, the people responsible for ending this war will the ones to prevent another."

"You see, Shin?" Luna agreed wholeheartedly, "There is still things we need to do, still people we have to look after."

"But it's not..." He sighed, ducking his head, and she could see him chewing on his lower lip indecisively.

"It's not your family, and it never will be," Rey intoned quietly, before adding, "But, on the other hand, is it better to live regretting what you lost, or to try and live honoring their memory?"

"You already know the answer to that," Shin muttered dryly, "Why try to make me say it?"

"To be sure you know too," Rey countered swiftly, "In any case, if you don't intend to go to Orb with Luna, I'm sure my foster parents would be quite happy to put you up until you find a more stable situation."

"You're going back to the PLANTs?" Luna asked, somewhat disappointed. She intended to return to Orb, and spend some time with the family she had neglected to the point that she almost didn't recognize them now, but she had hoped her friends would come with her as well.

"I am," there was a fixed determination behind those two words, as if much more was going unsaid, if she only knew what to listen for, "This is as much my mess to clean up as it is Athrun's."

"Athrun is going back as well?" Shin started in surprise, "After defecting?"

"It is a risk," Rey shrugged, "But I don't think anybody is going to blame defectors at the moment. If anything, they should be being hailed as heroes."

"For _defecting_?" Shin was incredulous, but Luna understood what it was her comrade was saying.

"Right now, the people who stayed with the military are those who followed Rau Le Creuset," she murmured quietly, "And the Commander suspected he was behind it all..."

"He _wasn't_ behind it all," Rey corrected her, "Just most of it. The rest of all this was dreamt up by a twisted individual by the name of Gilbert Durandal. He manipulated Rau, but in the end he lost control of him, and the amalgamation of both their plans is the result you now see. Athrun's family has connections to Durandal, as does mine," she wondered if there was more to that than there appeared, taking into account the odd note to Rey's voice, but she was not curious enough to pry, "That's the reason neither of us can sit back and wait until this all blows over. So, Shin, what do you think?"

"I want to come," Shin agreed at once, "I want to make a difference, and this time, it will be a change for the better."


	42. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41: A Moment Away from Past or Future**

_"What is behind us, and what is before us, is nothing compared to what is within us."-Oliver Wendell Holmes_

"Here it is," gently he delivered the ring and necklace into her hand, closing her fingers over it, and then covering the slim appendage with both his own, "Back safe and sound, just like I promised."

"I'm glad," she smiled back at him, neither of them moving, comfortable in the solitude the bridge had to offer. The Eternal was not functional at the moment, and even if it had been the rest of the crew were too busy offering assurances to themselves and friends to be here. "It was too precious a gift to be lost."

"Lacus?..." taken aback he didn't even have time to formulate a response before she closed the space between them, wrapping her arms about him in a firm embrace, her chin resting on his shoulder, and her voice little more than a breath beside his ear.

"You're not coming, are you? So that means...This is goodbye..."

"I have to help Caggallie," moving to return the gesture he rested his hands against her back, trying to keep the intense regret out of his voice. He wanted to go the PLANTs, he really did, but just as Athrun had decided it was his duty to go there, Kira knew his place was at Caggallie's side. He was her brother, and besides that making him the next in line to the position of Chief Representative, it also made him the only family she had. He would not leave her alone in a time when so much work would be needed, even if it meant giving up the path he would rather take, for the moment, at least. "But, this isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again, and soon. _That's_ a promise as well."

"I wish things could be different," she sighed, drawing back slightly so he could see her face, and the disappointment lingering in the blue-gray depths of her eyes, "It's wrong, but I can't help but wish it."

"It isn't wrong, Lacus, it's just human," he smiled at her, entirely content with their current position, "But, there is nothing to wish for. As soon as Orb and the PLANTs are back to normal, I'll come to see you, or you can come to see _me_, one or the other."

"If that's the case," reaching up she dropped the chain and ring over his head, placing her hand over it and pressing both to his chest, her eyes unreadable as she glanced back up at him pensively, "You had best keep this."

"What?" Kira went so far as to tease her lightly, "You're afraid I won't come back? That I won't keep my promise?"

"I'm afraid the world is changing," she sighed, neither moving her hand or her gaze, both seemingly attached to him, "And change is always painful, not to mention dangerous. The PLANTs will not be the only place that is unsettled, Kira, the entire world is going to be boiling for a while longer yet."

"We've come this far already," Kira was more than ready to reassure her, he had done it before, and he was more than capable of doing it again. "I don't think we'll falter now, at the very end. Like Mu says, 'have a little faith, why don't you?'"

"I have plenty of faith in this world," she smiled then, all the tension leaving her face with the gesture, a feeling of pure contentment settling over them both, even if it was only for a second, "And in the people in it, and that's the reason I will never give up. Never."

"And I'm the same," he returned her smile without hesitation, "We both believe in this world, the people in it, and their ability to change, and that's the reason we'll keep on going, no matter what."

* * *

The silence between them was weighted, yet oddly comfortable at the same time, and though she knew the pressure was on her to break it, to answer the question that had been put to her, there was absolutely no indication that that answer was desired immediately, that she had to rush. Emerald eyes that had captivated her from the very start watched her patiently from where he lay, head resting on her lap, and his hands folded half way up his stomach so that they could enclose one of hers, she stroking the other through satiny, blue hair, gaze fixed on the wall, yet her mind's eye knowing full well the picture she would see if she looked down. They had been this way for the last ten minutes, when she had chosen, upon taking in his appearance, that a room would be a much better place to have this discussion than the observation deck, and neither of them were inclined to change it any time soon.

She had always believed the opportunity to find love was a myth, the complete, total, pure love one could read about in a dozen different books, in any case. The love that was satisfiable by just being in the same room as the feeling's object, that asked for nothing and everything at the same time, no reward except to be allowed to give. That kind of love was beautiful, and it was what she was being offered now.

After Patrick Zala had told her the entire story behind the events that had unfolded aboard the GENESIS she had known without doubt that everything that had happened would have had a profound effect on Athrun. She had seen his devotion to his family, a loyalty that was comparable to what he had to his friends, and she understood how much it must have hurt to discover something his mother had created was in some way responsible for the world's decay. She had expected him to want to partake in some way of fixing it, she just hadn't expected it to be something that would take him from her, albeit only for a short while, or for _him_ to offer not to go.

She had been unable to hide her disappointment when he announced his intentions, and it had been then the offer had tentatively been given, an offering that meant so much, because in giving her the choice of whether he stayed with her or not, Athrun had proven to her how deep the measure of his regard ran. He was willing to put aside something she knew meant a lot to him, merely because he knew _she_ would be disappointed if he left. She could say yes, she knew that, she could take him with her back to Orb and have him there as she wanted him. He would have done it, he would _do_ it, without any wish for a reward, and the more selfish part of her wanted to accept that offer, to take advantage of that selflessness, but she knew with equal clarity exactly why she could not.

She could not let him leave something so close to his heart unresolved, to bury his troubles, as he was so often want to, merely to achieve her own happiness. It was enough that she now had a second assurance of the level of his commitment to her, and now it was her turn to show she was also prepared to place her own desires second.

"Don't come back to Orb," she turned away from the wall at last, turning back down to meet his gaze, verdant gaze glittering, despite the fact the lights were off, "Not until you're ready."

"Are you sure?" he frowned at her, as though deliberating some sort of puzzle, "I could go to the PLANTs later."

"Orb..._We_ can wait," she sighed, not wanting to put that thought into words, but knowing it was the truth, "The PLANTs can't."

There was an opportunity there to open a conversation, as so many other people were, on exactly how much work now needed to be done, but Athrun did not take it, for he was just as content as she was to enjoy this brief moment of solitude, when the world outside did not matter, for they could take comfort in the fact the other was beside them. There was no need to do more than just sit together, it was enough, and that alone, she believed, was what made what they had so beautiful.

"Is Nichol awake?" Athrun chose a safe topic of conversation, steering them away from all the trouble, to something that could only be regarded as good, "Meyrin seemed happy."

"You noticed?" Caggallie laughed softly, leaning back against the wall behind her, and turning her gaze to the bottom of the bunk above, "Yes, Nichol is awake, but apparently her sister is also going back to Orb with her. She has good reason to be celebrating right now."

"We all do," he pointed out practically, "We're alive."

That statement was both simple and magnificent at the same time, capturing the feelings she was sure they all shared right now, for to _be_ alive at this time was a true wonder, a gift that no one dared question. There was no reason _why_ they had been given their lives when others had not, why they had survived, when there were probably millions of others more deserving. There was no reason behind it, it was just simply the way things turned out, but, now they _were_ the survivors. It did not matter if there was a 'why', if there was some unknown reason for the fact they had lived, all that mattered now was what they did with the lives they had been given, and she was sure not a single one of those people aboard this vessel now were going to let this gift go to waste. They had a future to rebuild, lives, countries, and a world that needed their attention. It was a momentous task, mind boggling in it's enormity, and it had been entrusted to them.

That thought might have been daunting, except, right now, Caggallie did not even bother to think about the future, or the past. What had brought them here, and what would take them away. Right now, she was living in the moment, in the precious few hours she could spend alone with someone she loved, before reality seeped in to break them apart again. None of that mattered now, nothing but this moment, and this moment was bliss.


	43. Chapter 42

A/N: Man, this chapter took ages to write, mostly because it had some really tricky scenes, and because I was having a bit of trouble trying to keep the characters _in_character and yet represent changes as well. I'm still not entirely convinced some of them aren't OOC, but it isn't getting any better with more tweaking, so I'll just let it be.

**Epilogue: Between Now and Then**

**In the months immediately following the war Lacus Clyne became a symbol of hope to the PLANTs, and the world as a whole, successfully leading the three sides into a time of recovery, beginning with the negotiation of a trilateral agreement between the Earth Forces, now led by Sarah Azrael, Orb, and the PLANTs, which would see the three counties equally committed to helping each other regain equilibrium. Despite some major, and, in many cases, dangerous opposition Lacus succeeded in forming the PLANTs into an united front with the sole goal of rectifying the damage caused by Rau Le Creuset and Gilbert Durandal, the two men largely considered as the instigators of the entire war. Two months after the war's conclusion, she was elected to the position of Chairwoman formerly held in the interim by Eileen Canaver, becoming the youngest person to ever hold the post.**

**Shortly after her election Lacus Clyne placed Commander Charles Lawson in sole command of the Special Forces, whilst at the same time promoting Commander Yzak Joule to lead ZAFT's portion of a new organization named FAITH, charged with intervening in any and all outbreaks of conflict between the still settling hostilities, where many armed forces refused to follow decisions made by their respective governments. This organization would come to include Athrun Zala and Shiho Hahnenfuss, as well as the Joule Team as an entirety, excepting only Lunamaria Hawk, who instead chose to represent Orb along with Meyrin Hawk and Nichol Amalfi. The Orb portion of the forces were coordinated by Commander Kisaki, and led by the collective efforts of Mu La Flaga, Murrue Ramius, and Kira Yamato. General Halberton would take charge of the Earth Alliance forces within the organization, whilst the information networks for the entire squad were controlled by trusted members of the Clyne Faction.**

**This cooperative gesture between the three nations promoted a level of trust that had been absent since the destruction of the Seventh Colony, and eventually led to the resuming of trade between the PLANTs and the Earth, something that was largely heralded as Lacus Clyne's greatest achievement, to the extent that her decision to grant clemency to Patrick Zala upon his return to the PLANTs, as well as many of his supporters, including Ezalia Joule and Tad Elsman, was barely commented on.**

**Six months after the conclusion of the war, world peace has been declared as a certainty, and in order to celebrate this occasion, as well as to remember those who gave their lives for the eventuality, the Clyne Faction and members of FAITH have congregated at the invitation of the PLANTs' Chairwoman to the Clyne Residence, the place where it all began**

* * *

Kira had never really liked dressing up, he and Caggallie were as alike as two peas in a pod in that respect, and he liked standing in a _crowd_ of people who were dressed up even less so. Which was why it seemed so strange that he was perfectly at ease where he stood now, in the middle of uniformed men and women, and those who were not in uniform wearing typical high class clothing. But, he knew the reason for that, because most of these people were his friends, and many of them were comrades as well. He had to admit he would never have expected himself to feel comfortable standing in uniform as a soldier _amongst _soldiers, but circumstances had changed so far that he _did_, to the point that he had no qualms about bursting into laughter when Caggallie made her appearance.

To be honest, he didn't think he had ever seen her wearing a dress before, and the one Lacus had picked out for her was far from plain. A one piece, pleated, sleeveless pale blue gown with gold trim up the centre of the torso and trimming the top of the bodice, the skirt itself dividing halfway down the centre to allow freedom of movement. There was no lace or frills on the other hand, and Lacus had relented so far as to allow Caggallie to wear flat heeled shoes, though that kind thought did little to allay the glower on the blond girl's face as she marched forcefully across the room to stand before her grinning brother.

"And what are _you_ looking at?" she demanded sharply, though he was sure half that anger was being used to disguise the fact the reason for her face being red was actually that she was blushing. To be honest, he found the whole thing entirely amusing, because he had seen Caggallie face certain death without the slightest of qualms, and yet wearing a dress appeared to be even more daunting than that.

"Oh, nothing," he waved a hand innocuously, "By the way, I don't believe we've met. Who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, don't be such a tease, Kira," Mu interjected, slinging a hand over Kira's shoulder as he made his approach from behind, "I mean, this is hardly anything beside that shocking red hair she used to have."

"When the niceties are all over," Caggallie replied with a sweet smile, "I'm going to take great pleasure in ripping the two of you limb for limb. Won't you like that?"

"Er, well, I've got to go find Murrue, bye!" making a quick escape the blond man ducked away to find the captain of the Archangel, currently occupied in a three way conversation with Councilor Amalfi and Natarle Badgiruel. Kira had been somewhat surprised to see the Earth Forces supreme Commander here, but, then again, Natarle had partaken in all the events, even if she had been a reluctant party to begin with, and the work she had done in the Earth Forces territory was magnificent, swaying the governments despite not being a part of them herself.

"So," Caggallie broke the silence, drawing his gaze away from the trio now foursome, her voice more moderate now, "Miri and the others didn't come?"

"No," he had been disappointed about that, but he understood that his four friends were still busy rebuilding their lives with their families in the reconstruction work of Heliopolis. He hadn't returned there himself, occupied with helping elsewhere as he could, and his parents were still staying at the Hawk Hotel, so he had had no reason to go there except to visit friends who normally came to him anyway. In truth, he did not know if he _wanted_ to return to Heliopolis, because it was there some of the worst battles had been fought, including the one where he had almost lost his best friend, but not having his friends _here_ was something he regretted, mostly because they had been just as much a part of this victory as anyone else, even if they no longer partook in any battles. "I think they just want to buckle down and finally get things settled. I hear there's been a lot of work going on in Heliopolis."

"And elsewhere," Caggallie raised a hand as if to run it through her hair, then seemed to remember that Lacus had tied small blue ribbons in it, and abruptly dropped it to her side instead, "We've been so busy. And what about you, Kira? I haven't seen you for a while, not even in Orb, where have you _been_?"

"Watching, waiting, and intervening, though I admit I'm well and truly sick of seeing the inside of a ship for days on end."

Kira grinned. Actually, the last few months had been blessedly quiet, and it was only Yzak's insistence that this close to achieving world peace they should not relax that had kept him on the battlefield. A battlefield that was more a patrol route these days. The dissident groups had finally begun to settle, and he honestly wondered how long it would be until the separate governments decided to abolish FAITH. They had done good work, but this kind of military agreement between the three countries was somewhat tentative, and he truly wondered if it could last.

"FAITH has certainly been a successful venture," Caggallie agreed, absently picking up a drink out of the selection to be had in the crowded dining room and sipping it cautiously. The Clyne Mansion was large, but, with such a large number of guests, that size was almost moot. "Though I'm not sure how much longer the Earth Forces will continue to allow it's existence. Miss Azrael has been trying to make them delay withdrawing from the group, because the moment they do most of the barricades towards restarting conflict will be removed, but she doesn't seem overly hopeful. In truth, it was a miracle that Lacus managed to convince them to partake in the first place. Some of the officials are here today, actually, I wonder if Lacus intends to have words with them."

"But, just because they break away doesn't mean there is going to be another war," Kira reminded her practically, choosing his own selection from what was on offer, and it certainly wasn't a sparse fair, "Don't worry about it, Caggallie, if they leave they leave, we're supposed to be enjoying ourselves tonight, remember? Isn't that right, Commander Waltfield?"

"That's right, kid," Andrew had made a remarkable recovery from his injuries, so that now he barely needed the ever present cane to get around, though Kira wondered if it was really the cane he leant on or his wife. Both of them were dressed in the FAITH uniform, rather than anything fancy, though Aisha had chosen the female option of the outfit. The pair of them were solely in charge of the groups intel,and boy, were they thorough! "Representative, my, you do look fine today! Is it a special occasion or something? I swear I never expected Miss Clyne to be able to get you into something so feminine."

"She bribed me," Caggallie responded simply, and Kira wondered if that slight, added flush to her cheeks was solely his imagination. His interest was sparked in any case, how the hell had Lacus managed that? "And thank you, but if you'll excuse me a moment, I think I need some air."

Not waiting another moment the blond girl almost bolted from the room, as though she had read Kira's mind in reference to trying to squeeze the leverage the pink haired songstress had used out of her, Andrew chuckling surreptitiously as she went, before turning back to Kira, "So, how're you going, kid? I hear things are pretty peaceful down on Earth these days."

"A reason to be thankful," Kira agreed wholeheartedly, "I've been okay, busy, but just fine. The Archangel is back in Orb for the moment, though I'm considering asking Commander Joule if he can transfer me to the ZAFT portion of FAITH anyway."

"Ah," Aisha gave him a knowing look, raising one finger as she added, "Are you going to trade places with Athrun?"

"Something like that," Kira grinned, having expected her to realize his plans immediately, "I think it's about the only way to get him to go to Orb, actually, I'll just get Lacus to ask it of him as a favor for the two of us, that should do it, I think."

"Ask a favor of whom?" Kira spun in surprise, halting abruptly as he did so, his breath freezing, and his words catching in his throat as he found himself face to face with Lacus.

Where she had held back on Caggallie, Lacus had allowed no restraints in her own manner of dressing, and Kira was reminded instantly of the way she had appeared during her concert in Heliopolis, not after it, but during the actual performance. To describe it in a simple word was easy, and he could think of only one; breathtaking. The gown she had chosen was a hue of pink several shades lighter than her hair, trimmed with purple just beneath the bodice, also embroidered with pink roses there, and down the right hand side where the skirt split in a gathering of darker ruffles. Her hair was done in a comparatively simple ponytail, the head band adorned with matching pink roses, and the only jewelry she wore was a net bracelet of gold studded with emeralds that was a perfect match for the necklace draped about her neck. Stunning, that was what she was, and after months of speaking to her only through the blessed invention of video conversations the affect was amplified all the more.

"Kira?" Smiling at him sweetly she took another step forward, and he felt compelled to shut his gaping mouth, "You were saying?"

"Uh, what? Oh, nothing important," in truth he couldn't remember what he had been saying, and Andrew and Aisha had made a somewhat discreet exit, so that he couldn't even refer to them to jog his memory, "You look absolutely exquisite, Lacus."

"I try."

She laughed lightly, the very picture of natural grace and beauty, and it _was_ natural, not the slightly more reserved picture she painted in the press, accepting his outstretched arm as he led her back up the room, towards wherever it was she had been heading, though their pace could hardly be called hurried. For the moment he was quite content to simply enjoy her company, something he had been missing ever since her last visit to Orb, and that had been brief enough. He could bring up the matter of the transfer later, because he was sure she would agree. Athrun wasn't going to leave the PLANTs unless he was forced, though Kira wasn't quite sure of the reason for that, and the easiest way to force Athrun to do something was to make him think he was doing it for someone else. Actually, he hadn't seen much of his friend lately either, belonging to a different division of FAITH, which led to the question he voiced to break the silence.

"Where's Athrun, Lacus? He _is_ here, isn't he?"

"He is," she replied, still smiling, although it had dimmed slightly, "He's been here since this morning, I made sure of that, but today is somewhat...difficult, for him."

"Because it's the memorial?" Kira had wondered at that, at the day Lacus had chosen, but it looked like now he was about to receive an answer to his wonderings.

"To a point," Lacus gave a slow nod, "He's still troubled by the Heron Project and it's origins, and, given what today marks, I'm sure it will be even more present on his mind. That's a part of the reason I chose today, because it was about the only way I was going to get Caggallie to the PLANTs."

"And here I was thinking you really wanted to see us all!" Kira laughed, ignoring the half hearted glare she gave him. Lacus Clyne was not made for glaring, and the expression was hardly frightening. "Actually, Lacus, I was kind of hoping you could help me with that."

"With what?" she came to a pause, still only halfway across the room, though by the look on her face he knew she must have already realized what he was about.

"I want to swap positions with Athrun," he reiterated firmly, "Caggallie has Orb under some semblance of control now, and I do want to spend more time with you than just a few hours on the phone a day. FAITH has done it's job for the most part, the world is stable, and now I want to take some time to enjoy that stability."

"I'll see what I can do," she smiled, surprising him slightly as she leant forward and kissed him quickly on the cheek, before pulling away slightly, "But, right now, there are a few people I need to talk to, and I'm neglecting them by staying here. I'll speak with you later, Kira, don't go anywhere, okay?"

Not waiting for more than a nod on his part she moved away into the crowd, already smiling as she greeted the various members of the Faction present, but making her way steadily towards the people she needed to see,those from the Earth Forces. Kira watched her go with a wistful expression, then very nearly jumped out of his skin as someone slapped him rather soundly on the back.

"You know you look like a woebegone puppy?" Dearka grinned, not removing his hand from Kira's back, which led the younger Coordinator to believe the ZAFT pilot might just be drunk, as an awfully large amount of Dearka's weight seemed to be distributed on_ his_ shoulders, "Just thought I'd let you know that."

"Well, thank you for that," subtly, Kira moved out from under the older pilot's arm, watching with some amusement as Dearka pitched forward as expected, just managing to save himself from slamming his nose into the ground, "But, I still look better than you."

* * *

"So, what exactly are you doing?"

Head cocked slightly to the side in a look of pensive curiosity Heine voiced the question foremost on Yzak's mind, earning a slight giggle from Shiho, who replied flippantly.

"Actually, I was just trying to figure out what our Commander had to scowl about. I mean, Dearka's making a fool of himself _inside_ where we can't see him or be associated with him, he's now the highest ranking officer in a very important force, and nobody except his own team has so much approached him today. I'm afraid I'm at a complete and utter loss, how about you, Rey?"

"I was of the impression that was his face," Rey commented mildly, "Though, I could be wrong."

"Ha ha, very funny," Yzak managed to include all of them in his glare, despite the fact Rey was behind him, before shrugging, an evil grin working it's way across his face, "You do know I can have all of you ejected from FAITH, right?"

"He's pulling rank!" Heine stumbled back in a gesture of mock horror, "Threatened by a younger officer, the shame!"

"As a matter of fact," Shiho spoke thoughtfully, one finger pressed to her lips, "I'm actually starting to wonder which one of you is worse, _you_, or Dearka."

"Come on, I didn't get drunk the moment there was liquor in sight." Heine returned to his original position, though he was smiling broadly.

"Well, to be fair," Yzak interjected on his friend's behalf, "He did just get dumped."

"We were never a couple to begin with," Shiho countered quickly, "I don't know what gave him that impression."

"He's just using it as an excuse, anyway," Rey added, reminding Yzak of just how much more forward the blond pilot had become during his time serving in FAITH. In truth, it had done them all good, to return to camaraderie that wasn't overshadowed by the fact they were going against orders, or that the PLANTs were about to be destroyed. Back to the way things used to be, when all you had to worry about was how far the pranksters in the team were going to go. They had more concerns than that now, of course, they were older, more experienced, _hardened_, but that just meant they knew with even more clarity that these times were to be taken advantage of. "He ate the entire base of that trifle."

"The reason he isn't going to get a date anytime soon," Shiho laughed, leaning back against the trunk of the cherry tree against which she was seated, "Not only is he an idiot, he also has absolutely no manners, and his father was a councilor!"

"Sometimes, I think that makes them worse, no offense, Commander," Heine obviously didn't really care if he had given offense or not, but Yzak was well used to it by now, and Heine's small offenses hadn't concerned him to begin with. They were bearable, unlike Dearka. "So, did you hear about the Earth Forces?"

"About them intending to pull out?" Shiho frowned, "Yeah. Apparently Supreme Commander Azrael is hardly pleased by the entire affair, but the united governments of the Earth Alliance think that FAITH puts too much power in the hands of Coordinators, given that a good majority of Orb's operatives are also genetically enhanced."

"Bloody idiots," Yzak muttered, not quite under his breath, and not intended to be, "They'll start this all over again for the sake of that 'blue and pure' rubbish."

"I don't think it's going to start another war," Rey observed quietly, "The Earth Alliance is still too reliant on Orb and the PLANTs for support. They were the worst hit in the crisis, after all."

"And what happens when they're no longer reliant?" Shiho wondered aloud, "Will they turn around and stab us in the back?"

"That is a good question," Heine agreed with a slow nod, "But if we withdraw our aid they're going to hate us all the more."

"Politics," Yzak gave a snort, "This is Lacus Clyne's domain now."

"And isn't she doing a fabulous job?"

"Commander Waltfield," Yzak greeted the newcomers with a slight tilt of his head, "Is that a piece of information to add to the intel?"

"Not quite, more like a personal observance," Andrew waved his spare hand casually, "So, what's the A team up to, then? You _do_ realize one of your members just kissed the carpet inside, right?"

"One of _our_ members?" Heine pretended at innocence, "I have no idea to whom you are referring. Our team here is complete."

"Is that so," looking distinctly amused Andrew let the matter drop nonetheless, swiftly switching the topic, "So, what were you talking about then?"

"The eventuality of getting stabbed in the back," Shiho informed him freely, "And whether or not it is something to be concerned about."

"So?" Aisha prompted, "Is it?"

"I would assume if it actually happens, then yes," Yzak replied calmly, having thought the matter through plenty of times before today, "But, if it hasn't yet, I'm not going to worry about it until it does. Getting paranoid like that is just as bad as the bias the Earth Alliance are unable to drop. If it comes, we'll face it, if it doesn't, well," he shrugged, "We'll count our blessings."

* * *

"Is _everything_ to do with the Clyne Family so...so..."

"So?" Shin jumped at Lunamaria's interjection, glancing around to glare at her briefly for intruding on his voiced thoughts, before proceeding without hesitation.

"So _pink_."

"Personally, I find cherry trees to be very beautiful," she shrugged, stepping out onto the balcony to join him, Meyrin and Nichol only a step behind, "But I guess it is a matter of tastes."

"There's nothing wrong with the trees," he huffed lightly, "But, the garden is pink, the roof is pink, heck, half the freaking house is pink!"

"But, given that Lacus' sobriquet is the Pink Princess, it does seem somewhat fitting," Nichol grinned, apparently not at all put out by the color of their surroundings, but then, the few times they had served together, Shin had learnt that little seemed to annoy the green haired Coordinator. "Meyrin, would you care for a closer look?"

"Of course!" Bubbly as ever Luna's younger sister did not hesitate to shoot back inside the house, no doubt headed for the stairs that would take them to the lower grounds, though Luna herself remained, walking to stand beside him on the balcony, her hands clasped behind her back in a relaxed gesture, though there were still signs of tension in her voice.

"So, did you find what you were looking for?"

"That's..." he hesitated, uncertain, "Difficult to say."

"Would you care to explain that for me?" turning she placed her back to the balcony, arms folded across her chest, and head tilted slightly to the side in an inquisitive gesture. "Shin?"

"I have something to do now, I guess," absently he picked at the woodwork beneath his fingers, focussing on that as he spoke, a habit of old, "FAITH gives me a reason to do _something_, a good reason, but there is still something missing."

"And that would be?"

"All this time I always thought I had to do something about the loss of my family, that I had to do something to make the people who had taken them pay, but then all that stuff with GENESIS and Requiem happened, all things that were caused by the same thoughts and feelings I had always followed," he sighed, clasping his hands as he rested his elbows on the balcony's edge, "Dad, mom, even Mayu, none of them would have wanted that, for the world, or for me. Even though I knew that, even though I knew they would never come back, I still couldn't look past the fact they _were_ dead. To the things that _really_ mattered."

"And now?" She was genuinely curious, truly anxious to know whether or not he had found what he had always been looking for, because she was Luna, and she had always been that way.

"I'm ready now," turning slightly he offered her a tentative smile, "Ready to come back to Orb. Ready to come _home_."

* * *

The last time he had stood on the balcony belonging to this study had been years ago, and Patrick remembered only vaguely the argument he had had with Siegel Clyne on that day, only that it had pertained to Athrun, his deceased wife, and the damage he was dealing to the remnants of his family. He had not really known why he had come to this room until after he stepped out onto the platform, and it was only then that he remembered this was the only part of the house that allowed you to gaze past the perfection of the garden and to the hill beyond, to the place he had avoided without fail since it had become the burial place of his wife. That wasn't the fact that kept him here, though, no, it was what he had seen when he came up here, when he gazed in that direction, the ominously potent fact that that hilltop was not deserted.

"Are you going to go?"

He jumped at the interjection, turning swiftly to stare at the young woman standing in the doorway, one hand resting against the frame, the other clutching what appeared to be several files to her chest. He was not really surprised she was using what was supposed to be a social occasion to complete work, he well understood the concept, having done it many times himself, though he did have to admit she did not look like a chairwoman in her current dress. She looked like a young woman, the young woman she was beneath the picture of Lacus Clyne, and he wondered briefly if anyone else noticed the difference.

"I don't know," he answered at last, turning back to the view, his hands clasped behind his back, "It's been so long."

"You went there only once," she agreed quietly, and he watched out of the corner of his eye as her gaze dropped briefly to the floor, before lifting to fasten on him once more, her voice firm, "But, it would mean the world to Athrun if you did. In fact, I can't really begin to tell you how much it would mean to him."

She smiled, but did not wait for his response, turning and leaving him alone, though he was sure she had already known what it was he would do now.

* * *

There were times when he had hated this place, times when it's beauty had only served as a reminder to what lay just beyond that fragile world of petals and scent, times when he had realized that illusion was just a small piece of a larger world that was just as false. But, now, at this moment, was not one of those times. He hadn't stood in this place for over a year, the last time had been the day before a birthday he no longer celebrated, the day before he began the mission that had seemed liked the beginning, but in truth had only been an event far along a line already infinite. Back then he had been dressed in blood red, a ZAFT soldier through and through, now his uniform was white and gold, the Clyne Faction crest on one side of his collar, the symbol of FAITH on the other. Yet, though the world around him had changed, though he himself had changed, this place, of all places, remained the same.

'Lenore Zala'

It had not been that long ago when he had considered what a loved well icon his mother had been, and how the people of the PLANTs had believed the lie that his family was intact, now, that entire perspective had been turned on it's head. Gilbert Durandal and Rau Le Creuset, both of them were considered equally at fault, but there were many people who had read the entire situation, and who knew about the Heron Project, something that had been inevitably brought to the light in the end. He did not really know what the overall public feeling was surrounding his mother, he had never bothered to learn, instead throwing himself wholeheartedly into the rebuilding efforts, into making it _right_,and it was only now, when peace was finally something that could be considered in some way secure, that he revisited this old, familiar place, and the new thoughts that went with it.

Today was the memorial again, and he had to wonder if Lacus had planned that, had planned to make him stop running and finally admit that, until he actually fully faced this, then trying to concentrate on the future was not going to work. He had told himself he would let go, but to think that, and to _do_ that, were two vastly different things. He had accepted, to a point, that he was not responsible for what had happened to his mother, that her death had been something he could not have prevented, for, even had he been able to stop Djibril that night, Rau would have come again. He had accepted, then, that in that affair, at the very least, he was void of accountability. No, guilt was not held him back now, but the knowledge that the one thing he had always believed would be constant in his life was now proven to have been the thing that had caused all the inconsistencies. The things he was now trying to fix.

"But, I can't fix them, can I, mother?" Talking to a gravestone was nothing new, he had been here alone enough times to have done it before, and sometimes it helped to speak his thoughts aloud, "I keep trying, but...I guess it's true that you can't change the past, I just wish I knew the reason _why_. Why did you go so far? Why did something meant to prevent a war end up causing it? And why...why did you have to pay with your life?" Reaching out he gently traced the letters of her name, a beautiful name, really, but one he had not spoken aloud for ages, because it had been too painful a reminder. He was somewhat startled to find himself blinking back tears, because he had never cried for his mother's death, not once. Instead he had swallowed his grief, buried it and let it fester, along with so many emotions he had considered unacceptable, because others considered them so. Now, on the other hand, he was free to feel what he wished, even if he could not control or discern between those emotions.

Swallowing a sob he ended on the last 'a' of her name, his next words choked, desperate even. "I just want to know _why_."

But, seated before the gravestone of the one person he had been certain he knew, he was as without answers as ever, and perhaps that was what annoyed him the most. Even after all...all _this, _and he still couldn't figure out the reason why. Mu La Flaga had said 'why?' was a question without an answer, and Athrun was beginning to believe he was right. In any case, he wasn't going to find the answers here, so rising he brushed off his uniform and turned to leave, only to freeze in place, his breath catching in his throat as he met the steel gray eyes of his sole, living parent.

The relationship with his father was still tentative at best, mired by a past neither of them could wholly overcome, but it was...improving, and for now, Athrun was content with that. Things had not gone so far, on the other hand, that he had expected to no longer stand in this place alone, and it was something of a shock to see his father present in a place he had avoided without fail for over ten years, so much so that he forgot the fact he had been crying, or that it had always been something his father disapproved of. For a moment they simply stared at each other, stared across an unfathomable gap that neither was quite sure how to bridge, except that the planks for that bridge lay right behind where he stood, in the name on that grave, and in the actions of the woman to whom that name belonged.

Lenore Zala may have been responsible for many things,the entire war might have been able to be traced back to her, but she had held their family together, had provided a constant example of what was necessary to _be_ a family, all it took now was for one of them to take that example and use it.

"I should have come here a long time ago," it was his father who finally broke the silence, moving forward slowly to stand level with Athrun, though his eyes remained focussed on the grave as he paused, turning to his son only when he was prepared to go on, "I can see that now, but then...?" he shook his head, granite features unusually expressive, stained with regret, "I was blind."

"It wasn't your fault," Athrun kept his gaze elsewhere, on the cherry blossoms, on the grass, on anything but his father's face, and he didn't even really know why, "I know mother...meant a lot...to you."

"To us both," Patrick countered at once, "I didn't allow either one of us to grieve, though, because I led by example, and it was a bad one." Athrun did not reply to that, for he had no response, instead he merely waited, for what he did not know, but he felt this time was significant, for _some_ reason. "I should have done this a long time ago, when Lenore was still alive, and when _you_ were still a child," the man shrugged as he turned to face Athrun directly, "But, you know, they say it is better late than never."

His next move was so entirely unexpected that for several moments Athrun was not even sure of what had happened, purely and simply because he had believed it_would_ never happen. His father had never been an expressive man, either physically, or with words, and he had come to expect little sign of approval in either respect, not a pat on the shoulder or even a smile of encouragement. To suddenly find himself in a fatherly embrace, then, was the last thing he had expected, and certainly the thing he was least prepared to react to.

"I ask your forgiveness, son," his father's voice was soft and humble, another two things he was unprepared for, and Athrun doubted he could have spoken if he had wanted to, "It's okay to cry, and I was wrong to tell you otherwise."

He was too old for this, the rational part of his mind argued, far too old, almost an adult himself, a veteran of a war, a commander who had planned several successful operations, who had gone so far as to defect for a cause. He was far too old to find comfort in the embrace of a parent, father or mother, and yet...And yet the irrational part of his mind had always acted too quickly for the sensible side to keep up, and by the time his thoughts had completed the number of reasons why this was not an acceptable way to behave, he was already crying.

It was just a matter now of figuring out whether they were tears of grief, or joy.

* * *

Caggallie was just about ready to invoke some methods of stress relief that would not be condoned by either Lacus or Kisaki, not to mention her father, and any number of her peers and comrades. How _dare_ the pink songstress bribe her into wearing a dress? No matter the fact it was actually rather pretty, it was a _dress_, and she _didn't_ want to wear it. But, more than that, how dare Lacus know _she_ would let herself be bribed, over a boy, of all things! What kind of a world leader was the songstress, to use such tactics? And, what kind of a world leader was _Caggallie_ to fall for them? Yet, Caggallie knew the answer to both those questions.

Lacus was a good friend, who saw things many people wouldn't, and tried to rectify the lives of her closest companions to help them attain equal levels of contentment to her own. And she herself? Well, she was a young woman in charge of running a country, a fairly daunting task, and she was _lonely_. She wanted someone who would understand that frustration, who would understand the burdens she had to carry, and how little time she might have to spend with them. She wanted someone who was willing to wait those long moments, merely to seize an hour or two here and there. And, above all else, she wanted someone who saw her for who she was, who saw the real Caggallie, and not Representative Attha, the mask she had worn for years, and still couldn't fully escape.

So, then, if she was truly honest with herself, she could say she wanted Athrun, in _person_, not just on a long distance phone call that never really got off the ground, and _that_ was the reason Lacus had found her so biddable. The songstress of ZAFT had promised to transfer Kira and Athrun, switch their places, and come up with some excuse that would prevent any argument on his part, and she had wanted that badly enough to accept the torture of having to wear a dress. It was a dismal a state of affairs, really, when Orb's representative could so easily be swayed, but it wasn't something she was about to start rectifying now. She had waited six months for this, she wasn't going to wait any longer, if she could just find the idiot, she could ask him herself.

"You look stunning, Miss Attha." she spun at the voice, having not even realized she was no longer alone beneath the canopy of pink, even the ground beneath the trees strewn with similarly colored petals, and completely taken by surprise to find him standing right behind her, mere inches away, so easily touched,when for months she had not even been able to see his face.

"Miss Attha?" her voice came out as little more than a croak, and she swallowed quickly to alleviate that dry feeling, "Are you teasing me?"

"It was a compliment," he raised an eyebrow at her dubiously, "Did I offend you?"

"No," almost unconsciously she reached out to grip the lapels of his coat in each hand, her fingers running over the two crests as she stepped closer, the symbol of the Clyne Faction replacing that of Orb that adorned Kira's uniform, diminishing the gap between them as she glared up at him, forcing that frown to remain in place, though in actual fact she was somewhat giddy to be this close to him again. She had forgotten how it felt, to be in his presence, and she was beginning to feel like some sort of love struck blond, which, in actual truth, she probably was. "You've been avoiding me!"

"My apologies, princess," the hated title went unnoticed, mostly because she was too busy watching the ever shifting colors of his eyes, "There were some issues that needed to be resolved, but now they are done. I am ready to attend you now, should you wish it."

He was teasing her, she was certain of that now, and it took her several moments to unravel those words, to read the hidden meaning, and it was with almost breathless anticipation that she asked, "You mean you're ready to come back? To Orb?...With me?" he nodded, and she bit her lip in trepidation, unable to stop the question before it passed her lips, "Are you certain?"

"I've never been so certain," lifting one hand he lightly tucked several loose strands of hair back behind her ear, smiling fondly all the while, "It's been long enough, Caggallie, I've learnt my lesson. The only way the past can ever be fixed is to look to the future, and I want that future to be with you."

"And it was such a monumental decision you had to cry?" she was not teasing him, but instead was entirely serious, somewhat surprised she had not noticed the evidence of that fact earlier, though he merely smiled at her words, shaking his head slightly.

"The tears were for the time wasted, I don't want to waste anything else."

He could be so frighteningly intense at times, when those emerald eyes hardened in their seriousness, and yet showed beneath that the soft core of the feelings from which that sobriety had sprung. Right now, on the other hand, the feeling reflected in those eyes was love, something entirely immaculate, and directed solely at her. She hadn't done anything to deserve this, to deserve _him_, and a part of her quaked at that thought, at the thought there must be a cost for this, but the other part of her didn't care, the part that told her, deserving or not, she had this, and to turn it down would be foolishness that would harm not only her, but him as well.

"It's taken me six months to figure this out," he smiled ruefully, traces of regret flickering through his eyes, before they steadied again to that same, unadulterated adoration that took her breath away, "But, even if it took a while, I know now that this _is_ what I want. I've _missed_ you, Caggallie, and fretting over the past isn't worth going through that again when I know nothing will change, and that's why...That's why I have to ask you this," he took one of her hands in his own, the other slipping neatly about her waist, and drawing her into an embrace that was close enough his next words were whispered right in her ear.

"Caggallie Yula Attha, Princess of Orb, Goddess of Victory, and the one person who can turn me inside out without even trying," he paused, drawing a deep breath, before uttering the rest of his thoughts aloud, "Will you marry me?"

For a moment she simply stood there, frozen in place, unable to move, or even release him to allow space enough between them to see his face. Her mind was racing, searching for the reasons why she could not say yes, why this was not possible, why there were so many obstacles that could never allow this to happen. But, this time, she stomped forcibly on those thoughts, crushing them into the dirt, and letting her heart guide her once again. That was the reason she was able to loosen her grip, to take a step back, to look him directly in the eye, and answer with complete serenity, uttering that single, all important word.

"Yes."

And this time, _she_ was the one who kissed _him_.

* * *

**Credits:** As an added note, I would just like to say that all credit for this fic goes to my mom, who went through all the trouble of homeschooling me and teaching me everything I know. Without her, I would never have had the talent or the encouragement necessary to write this fic, and though she'll probably never see this, it's something I needed to say. In any case, it goes without saying that this is the final chapter of the The Truth; Why?, and I just want to say it's been a real blast! To all readers, reviewers, faves, and alerts, thank you so much, and I hoped you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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